Totties To Hotties
by CrumpetCapers
Summary: A series of one-shots following the boys from toddlers to the present, just for laughs. *There For You*
1. Picture Day

**A/N: Hello!**

**I do not own Big Time Rush; now or then.**

**I've decided to go backwards, before going forward that is, for the next four chapters. That way I can have a little something special in honor of Carlos' birthday this month. It will be posted that day. So anyway, the chapter numbers will change to keep them in chronological order. Thanks!**

**1. Picture Day**

Mrs. Diamond removed her little bundle of joy from the yellow baby tub. He wriggled and squirmed, all slippery with soap and the satiny smoothness of his skin. She laughed and held on tightly. She rinsed him with fresh warm water, while he spoke in jibberish that only he could understand. He reached for anything and everything that his little hands could grasp, while she towel-dried him.

"No, Jamie! Not Daddy's razor! That will hurt baby!" He paused, and looked at her mouth for a moment, debating whether ot not to cry for being told no, but decided that the bottle of pink shimmery stuff was way too exciting, to bother with tears. "Not that either! That's mommy's bubble bath," she said, prying it from his chubby fingers.

He pouted, and she knew what would come next, if she didn't act quickly. She grabbed a blue hippo toy from the bin, and made it dance on the edge of his tub. His eyes followed it for a moment, but he yawned.

"Are you sleepy, Jamie? You can't be sleepy yet. Today is picture day!"

His eyes drooped and his head swayed a bit. She had a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that he was going to nap, regardless of their engagement. He laid his head down on her shoulder, and begin to hum sleepily, snuggling his little body into the crook of her neck. "Oh, Jamie..."

She laid the sleeping baby boy onto his changing table, and sighed. They had to be there in an hour and a half, and there was no telling how long he would be out. She smiled down at the little nude beauty, and studied his peaceful face. His long thick lashes were shadowing his cheekbones, and his little bow-mouth was suckling in his sleep. He was going to take such beautiful pictures, she thought to herself.

She powdered and diapered him without him even stirring, and went to the closet to take down his chosen outfit. It was sky blue, that enhanced the amber of his eyes, and made of pure silk. Her friend, Catherine, had joked with her, that it cost more than her house payment.

She pulled the leg openings over his pudgy little feet, and tugged it up. James arched his back, pulled his legs up, and threw his arms up over his head. He had a good stretch, then cozied back down.

She worked the romper up the rest of the way, and lifted him to her chest to button up the back. He hung heavily against her, little legs dangling limply. She sang softly, and placed him into his carseat carrier. She pulled on snow white socks and European leather slip-ons. She combed the budding tresses of a mane across his forehead, and kissed him on the tip of his nose. He truly was perfect.

xxx

They had arrived at the exclusive photography studio an hour later. James was still sound asleep, but he was fidgeting more and more as the women talked.

"Who do we have, here?" the woman asked, when she saw the handsome sleeping boy all decked out in blue silk. "He's gorgeous!" she added, still admiring him.

"I hope it shows in the photos," Mrs. Diamond said with a smile. "The one-year photo is a big deal in our family. We use it on the invitations for his first birthday party, and it's placed on the wall in each household, as part of the family-tree members."

"Oh, I'm sure he'll be fantastic. You can take a look at some of my work, while we wait for the little fellow to wake on his own."

The two women perused the vast number of museum-quality photographs, that she had taken over the years. Many were of smiling baby boys captured on film with twinkling eyes, and in delightful poses.

"These are incredible! They're just what I was imagining for my little prince!" Mrs. Diamond squealed. Just then, a loud piercing cry echoed throughout the studio.

"Oh, my!" the woman said. "He has a set of lungs, doesn't he?"

Mrs. Diamond flew to the carrier, quickly unbuckled the straps, and pulled her baby from it. He wailed louder when he opened his eyes, and realized that he was no longer in his own elaborate nursery. "WHAAAAAAH! WHAAAAA! WHAAAAA!"

The photographer covered her ears reflexively and grimaced. She had dealt with many screaming babies over the years, but this one could wake the dead.

"Jamie! Baby! Look at mama! It's okay! The nice lady is going to take your picture now!" He took one look at the unfamiliar woman and screamed even louder. "But, Jamie! You love having your picture taken! I take them all of the time, and you're such a ham for the cam!"

He began to buck in her arms, his tiny face contorting with rage and turning scarlet. Mrs. Diamond struggled to subdue him, but he was having none of that. Suddenly, there was silence, fooling them into thinking that he had finally quieted, until she spun him around to see that his mouth was agape. Breathless, he wound up to release the ultimate whoop of all time. It reverberated off of the walls, and drove the poor photographer to retreat into the other room.

"Jamie!" Mrs. Diamond scolded her inconsolable offspring, "You stop that, right now! You're embarrissing Mama!" He shook with frustration and continued to wail.

"Maybe, we should just re-schedule!" the woman shouted from the other room.

"I can't!" Mrs. Diamond called back. "We're leaving on vacation, and I really need the photos before then!"

Finally exhausted, James withered in his mother's arms and lay limp. He still shuddered with sobs, but for the most part, the outburst had ended. Without wasting any time, the woman set up the backdrop, and waited for the young mother to deposit her baby in front of it. She placed the baby boy in the designated spot, and quickly took a step back.

He stared wide-eyed at the two women. His small puffy face was a vivid pink, and his eyes were swollen and red-rimmed. His mother's jaw dropped. "WAIT!" she cried, as the flash illuminated the dim space.

"WHAAAAAA!" James belted out, alarmed by his mother's loud voice and coupled with the simultaneous flash of bright light.

"Oh, dear," the woman said with a sigh. They gaped at the scrunched-up little mug of the baby, with exasperation.

Mrs. Diamond stomped her high-heeled foot, and stormed over to the distraught infant. "Jamie, you are a prince, and I insist that you behave like one, young man!" He stopped crying, and stared at his mother. She saw that his cheeks were all blotchy. "I can't have blotches on my invitations!" she whined. "Is there any way to erase them?"

"Well, I could re-touch the photos when I develop them," the photographer said. At that point, she would have promised the woman anything just to get them to leave.

"Good! Then carry on!" she said.

The woman snapped several more shots, each one a terrible combination of red-faced temperament, and distorted facial features. He threatened to let loose if his mother didn't pick him up immediately.

"I think I have enough to work with here, Mrs. Diamond," the photographer said just in the nick of time. He screeched as if he'd been stepped on, and didn't let up until his mother gave in and took him off of the platform, once and for all.

xxx

A week later, Mrs. Diamond received a phone call from Heirloom Photography. The woman spoke hastily on the answering machine, and gave her no time to lift the receiver before disconnecting. She played back the message.

"Mrs. Diamond, I have little James' photos here, and they are ready to be picked up at anytime. Thank you, bye."

"Hmmmm," murmured Mrs. Diamond. She didn't even rave about how beautiful they were, she thought to herself. She decided to finish the packing for their cruise, before leaving to collect the photos.

Two hours later, she stood at the counter of the studio with photos in hand. She stared at the plasticized face of the baby in the picture with shock. His skin was flawless. His eyes were bright and wide. He was smiling. It was perfect for an invitation and a family heirloom photo.

"Thank you!" she said happily, shaking the woman's hand and promising to return for the next session.

The woman smiled and watched her walk out the door. Once closed, the smile faded. "Oh, dear God, I hope not," she muttered.

xxx

Mr. Diamond loaded the boot of the car with the numerous bags that his wife had packed. He buckled his smiling baby boy into his car seat and ruffled his silky hair. He handed him a bottle of warm milk and James slid down, sucking the bottle contently. With everyone in their seat, buckled and ready to go, Mrs. Diamond turned to her husband with a pleasant smile.

"I've sent out all of the invitations and now we're going on a vacation to the Mediterranean! What could be better!" She rummaged through her handbag and pulled out the wallet-sized photo of James that had just been taken. "Oh, here!" she said, "I want you to see this."

He studied the photo for a moment, his brows knitted. "Nice-looking little fellow. But, who the heck is he?"

xxx

**The next one is a baby one for Logan...then Carlos...then Kendall. A pattern, see? (:**

**Thanks,**

**Crumpet**


	2. Thumbs Up

**A?N: Thanks to Anonymous Skrtle, trannce sea, winterschild11, Sassyascanbe14, and guests for reviewing the last oneshot! I hope I didn't leave anyone out!**

**2. Thumbs Up**

The dark-haired baby crawled down the hallway, babbling about the way that the carpet felt beneath him, and toppled to his belly. He stuck the only teeth he had, the two on the bottom, into his bottom lip and concentrated on the task at hand. He struggled, then pushed himself back up on his arms, jabbering about how much work it was, and continued around the corner. He stopped at the doorway of the living room, and gave a big gummy smile to the pretty teen-aged girl.

She did exactly what he expected her to do. She threw her hands over her mouth and squealed. "Oh, look at you! Aren't you adorable!" She gave him a big smile. He sat up and waited for her to come to him. They always did. Mrs. Mitchell smiled proudly. He giggled and gave her a sideways look.

"Oh my gosh!"

"Yep, that's the little guy. He's a big flirt!"

He let her admire him for a moment before crawling over and sitting at her feet. He looked up at her with big sparkling brown eyes and waited. He smiled bigger, showing her every dimple, and she picked him up immediately. He looked at his mom to make sure that this was all okay with her. She smiled.

"This is Ashley," she said. He leaned in and gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek. That was it, she was completely smitten. She wrapped him comfortably around her hip, and followed his mom from room to room while she showed her where everything was.

Mrs. Mitchell snapped a magnet over the list of emergency phone numbers on the refrigerator, and reminded her to call if she had any questions or problems. The girl nodded absent-mindedly. She'd been through all of this many times before with other children that she sat for. She peeked into the fridge with her to see the bottles of breast milk lined up along the shelf, and snacks for her inside.

Logan watched with interest, realizing that his milk was being discussed. "So, that's everything that I can think of. Just give me a call at the top number if you need anything."

"I will," Ashley assured her, wishing she'd be on her way, so she could get to know the little doll on her hip better. Mrs. Mitchell grabbed her handbag and keys, and walked around searching for other various items. Ashley followed along with Logan. His eyes began to droop as they walked back and forth, and he raised his chubby little arms for her to put him on her shoulder.

Mrs. Mitchell finally headed for the door. "My husband and I will be home around eleven o'clock." She looked at her watch twice, finally registering the time. "Oh, I have to go! I'm supposed to meet him there in a half-hour!"

"Yeah, you better hurry."

"Good-bye Logie-bear. Mama will see you later. Be a good boy." He barely acknowledged her, his eyes only slits now, and his head dropped down to the crook of her neck. Ashley melted. Mrs. Mitchell Looked at her watch yet again, this time in deep thought. "Hmmmm. It's not his bedtime yet, and he had a nap today." She shrugged it off.

"I'll watch a little tv and let him sleep, but not for too long. I know you want him to sleep through the night," Ashley said.

His mother felt his forehead to see if he was warm. It seemed normal. "Okay, bye."

xxx

Ashley gingerly lowered herself on the sofa and shifted the baby into a comfortable position. She placed her feet up on the ottoman and reached for the remote. The baby boy stirred, limbs jumping askew, before slowly falling back in place. She held her breath, waiting to see if he'd wake. He only sighed and went back under.

Relieved, she turned on the television and searched the channels. Finding one of her favorite shows, she settled down. She was getting sleepy too, especially with the dim lighting and the baby's soft peaceful breathing beside her. Her friend Abigail was right, he was an easy baby to sit for.

She gave in and laid beside him. He was so warm...So warm! She felt his cheek. It felt too warm. She unzipped the fleece footed pajama, and felt the little chest. Too warm. She began to panic. She sat up abruptly, startling him awake. He protested with a whimper. She clicked on the lamp and studied the tiny face. Her heart began to race. She could not deal with a sick baby, especially her first time there! She had always been lucky up until this point.

Sleepy brown eyes were studying her back. "Hi baby. You're not going get sick on me, are you?" He gave her a slight, crooked grin, and studied her some more. If he was sick, he certainly was good-natured about it. She lifted the undershirt to feel his belly. He giggled. He felt too warm to her.

"Let's take these off," she said softly. He waited patiently for her to remove them. She removed the footed pajama entirely, noticing his pink cheeks.

"Do you have a wet diapie?" she cooed. He giggled harder. "You're a cute baby, yes you are," she said, unable to resist him. He giggled and kicked his feet. She found the diaper bag and took out a fresh diaper, handing him a little rubber puppy to play with while she changed him.

He studied it, twisting it every which way in his pudgy hands while she worked...then he bit down on it. He chomped with all his might, his body shaking with the force of it. He looked like a vicious puppy with a bone.

"Wow, you're ferocious with that thing," she said, surprised. He locked his jaws tighter and shook the toy wildly. Suddenly, he whimpered and his face turned red. "Ummm...maybe we should find you another toy," she said.

She tugged at the toy that seemed to be upsetting him. Logan's mouth fell into a pout, and his dark brown eyes filled with instant tears. Wow, that was like a flip of a switch, she thought.

"Lookie! Lookie!" she said, "Here's a book I can read to you!" His mouth was still pouty, but he stared at the book she held. Books were one of his favorite things so he reached for it. She brought him to her lap with the book and begin to read.

"The little boy tossed the red ball, and the puppy-" She looked down at the baby who was chewing on the side of the cover. "Icky, " she said, pulling the soggy pages from his mouth. He held on tighter, grinding the two teeth fiercely into the hard cover.

"Oh no, you don't want to eat the book. You might choke on the paper," she said, yanking it away. As soon as it was removed, his little face twisted up, and the pout was back. His bottom lip quivered and he threatened to cry.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, effectively distracting him. She sprinted to the kitchen and opened the fridge to remove a bottle of breast milk. He gnawed on his fist and whimpered while she heated the milk under the faucet.

She handed him the bottle and he refused it. Her sitter senses were tingling. He was warm, his cheeks were pink, he was fussy, and he refused a bottle. He had to be sick. She sat in the big leather chair with him and began to rock, trying once more to prop him up with the bottle. He finally took the nipple, but stretched it with his teeth instead. Ashley had never seen anything like it.

He held the bottle firmly with his feet and pulled until the nipple stretched as long as it would go, whimpering the whole while. She shuddered to think of nursing the child. Worried that it might snap back and sting him, she worked it back into his mouth, coaxing him to drink from it. He wasn't having it. He shook his head, flipping the bottle from side to side.

"Whoa, calm down Logie!" she said, removing it, before he got himself worked up further. She turned to set the bottle on the side table, when he suddenly flipped and latched on to the arm of the leather chair. He chewed frantically.

"Ucky! Dirty chair!" she scolded. He began to cry so she took him off of the deep dents he had created. He wailed, showing his disdain, and she grabbed the opportunity to shove the nipple back inside the open mouth.

He refused at first, but changed his mind and clamped his gums on the nub. Ashly stared at the odd little fellow, and wondered what to make of the adorable baby in her lap. She had never experienced anything like it before.

"Drink the warm milk," she urged, praying that he would fall back to sleep. She tipped the bottle back further to release some of the contents, but he was blocking the flow with the two teeth. Obviously, the bottle just frustrated him more, and his cheeks were even pinker now.

She worked the nipple out while he threw himself back and showed her some tonsil. Desperate, Ashley handed him a stuffed lamb and he chomped down on it, fitting the entire head in his mouth.

"Oh, my!" Ashly exclaimed. She was sure that he would pop the head right off. It didn't take long before he was frustrated with the lamb as well, and flung it across the room.

She set him down on a baby blanket and went to find a different toy that might interest him. While she dug in the bin, he found the cord of a lamp, and bit down with all of his might. When she heard the familiar whimpers, she turned around in horror.

"No!" she yelled without thinking. He began to cry. "Oh, what am I going to do with you?"

xxx

"Mrs. Mitchell? It's Ashley. I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner."

"Is something wrong with Logan?"

"Well, I'm not sure. He won't take a bottle, and he's a little warm."

"Does he have a fever?" Mrs. Mitchell asked, getting worried.

"I haven't checked yet. Where do you keep the thermometer?"

"In the caddy by his changing table."

"Okay. I'll check it."

"Let me know. If I have to, I'll come home right away."

"I will." Ashley hung up and practically raced with the baby down the hall. She laid him on the changing table and grabbed the caddy.

She found a thermometer encased in clear plastic and read the label. _Rectal thermometer!_ She gasped. She was supposed to take it there? She han't thought about that possibility. She stared at the wiggling baby and sighed.

"Okaaaay..." she said. "I can do this," she muttered, trying to convince herself. She closed her eyes for a second to prepare. When she opened them, big brown eyes were watching her.

"Oh Logie. See what you've done? I have to take your temperature now because you're so fussy, and I don't think you're going to like it."

She flipped him on his belly and removed the diaper. She apprehensively opened the small jar of petroleum jelly and dabbed the tip. She hesitated, looking at the curious baby watching her over his shoulder. She moved in with the thermometer but stopped. He was looking at her with those trusting eyes, as if asking her what kind of gane they were playing.

She placed her palm on the small of his back, and inched the thermometer closer. Almost there, she closed her eyes and blindly moved—she stopped.

She couldn't do it. What if she hurt him? What if he didn't trust her any more? Big brown eyes were blinking at the looming object now. She exhaled in exasperation, when her eye caught sight of a colorful box in the caddy. She tilted her head to read it.

Aural thermometer! Oh, thank God! She squealed with relief and he jumped at the sound, starting to cry. She rolled him on his back, taking his chubby little hands in hers.

"It's okay, Logie! It's good! Ashley's going to take your temperature a better way!" He gurgled and smiled at her, wiggling happily.

She held the side of his head firmly and inserted the probe. It turned out that he didn't like that either. After three attempts, she finally felt like she had a close enough guess. One hundred, point three degrees. Not bad. Attaching the diaper, she phoned Mrs. Mitchell with the news.

"How is he?" Mrs. Mitchell asked upon pick-up.

"One hundred, point three."

"Low-grade. Does he have any other symptoms, Ashley?"

"Well, he's chewing on everything!" she said.

"Oh, yeah. He's teething now and sometimes the gums bother him. The teeth coming in are huge and teething can cause the fever. Just give him a dose of Tylenol and put some Orajel on his gums. There are some chilled teething rings in the fridge."

"Okay. He looks better now but I'll do that."

She hung up, and put the baby back on his blanket for a dose of Tylenol. Between that and the gum-numbing gel, he seemed content for a bit, holding a spinning toy. She decided to call her boyfriend for moral support.

"Jeff, It's me Ash." The baby turned to stare at her, wondering if she was speaking to him. He looked at the object that she was talking into. He picked up a toy and copied her, jabbering into it. She laughed.

"Hey. How's the sitting going, and what's so funny?"

"Well, he's adorable. He's teething though and he's been gnawing on absolutely everything. I think I've got it under control now. I'm laughing because he thinks he's talking on a phone too."

"Cute," he said.

She watched the baby make his way over to her and sit at her feet. "So, I just wanted a little encouragement I guess. Claire said that he was so easy to sit for and... I-OUCH!"

"Ashley, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"NO! Let go! Naughty baby!" she cried. Logan had latched on to her finger and her yelling frightened him. "No, don't cry! Don't cry! I'm okay, just sore! He bit my finger, Jeff!"

Jeff could hear the wails. Logan turned violet and shook with sobs. "What kind of baby is it?! Are you sure it's not a vampire bat, instead?!"

"I gotta' go! Bye!" She hung up and pulled the sobbing baby into her arms." Shhh. I'll give you _anything_ you want... just not my finger!"

When he tilted his head back and cried she saw the source of his troubles. The red inflamed gums were clearly visible, and two _huge _white teeth were about to poke through.

"Awww. Poor baby. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she cooed to him, rocking him gently. "I thought your gums were numb now. Let's get you a teething ring."

She gave him one from the fridge and he shoved it into his face happily. Finally quiet, he rested his head on her shoulder. She hummed and lulled him to sleep while she paced. He hummed with her.

xxx

"Jeff? Sorry about hanging up like that, earlier. He's sleeping now, and I thought I'd call you back and explain."

"How's the finger?"

"Purple and sore. He has jaws like a shark."

"I was thinking Ash. Doesn't he have a pacifier?"

"Yeah. Wouldn't take it though, other than to maul it, that is."

"What about his thumb? If he bites down too hard on that, he wouldn't do it twice."

"Hey...good idea. I'll try that if he wakes up and starts again."

"All right. I'll call you tomorrow to see how it went. Bye."

"Bye."

xxx

He did wake up, and he woke with a vengeance. _**"WHAAAAAA!"**_

Ashley jumped a foot and darted to the crib. She lifted him out and watched the tears streaming from the big brown eyes.

"Okay, Ashley's got you," she said, her heart beginning to race. They would be home in a half-hour, and she really didn't want them to hear him screaming when they did. She set him on her lap and carefully separated the tiny thumb from the clenched fist. She stuck it into his open mouth and waited. He stopped crying and tasted the thumb, closing his mouth around it. He was clearly deciding whether it was acceptable or not.

To her amazement, he sucked the thumb contentedly. She couldn't believe it. Jeff was right. She held him until the Mitchells arrived home.

xxx

"How is my little angel?" Mrs. Mitchell asked, as soon as she hit the door. She took off her coat, and stepped behind the teenager to see her sleeping baby. She stared in surprise.

"Is he all right?" asked Mr. Mitchell, worried.

"I've just never seen him suck his thumb before," she said. "How did he start that?"

Worried that they might be upset about the new habit, Ashley shrugged. "Um...I don't know. I thought that he was awfully quiet."

The tiny thumb fell away with a pop, as she handed the baby boy to his mother. He whimpered and Mrs. Mitchell reinserted it. She sighed.

"I'm sure it will just be temporary. He'll outgrow it," said Mr. Mitchell.

xxx

The next morning, the Mitchell's awoke to a very happy baby, with his thumb securely in his mouth...and every morning after. Oh, well...


	3. Hard Knock Life

**A/N: Sorry that the Logan story is not up yet. It will be soon! (: Sorry for any typos, I was rushed. BTW, sorry about confusing chapter order. I'm trying to keep them chronological!**

**3. Hard Knock Life**

The baby standing in the playpen was grinning and shaking the side rail. He was unaware that he'd been placed there to give mommy a well-earned break. He watched her move around with the bright yellow feather duster. Every time she flicked the feathers, his eyes would light up and he would explode into a fit of giggles.

She smiled at him and shook her head. He truly was her pride and joy. He was just so energetic. He looked disappointed when she finished dusting and reached for the furniture polish, until he watched her buff the surface. He squealed, as if she were doing it solely to entertain him.

"Whaz so funny, huh? Whaz so funny?" she asked in a silly voice, unable to resist him.

He responded with an elated gurgle, basking in the attention. "I'm almost done, then I'll play with you." He rocked back and forth excitedly. She would swear that he 'wagged his tail', sometimes, just like a frisky puppy.

She quickly straitened the sofa pillows and stacked the magazines. She rolled the vacuum cleaner out of the closet. He bounced up and down with glee. She knew he wanted to ride it. He liked to stand on top of it and hold it tight, as she ran it up and down the length of the room.

She looked at her bouncing baby boy and laughed. "Oh, all right. I'm coming for you." She lifted him from the playpen and set him by the upright. He climbed on instantly, and wrapped both chubby little arms around it.

She turned it on and it hummed to life. He giggled, and she never understood how he wasn't the least bit intimidated by the sound of the motor. She was grateful that she owned a quiet model. He delighted in the ride, and clapped his tiny hands when it ended, finally getting his fill after a dozen trips around.

Exhausted, Mrs. Garcia blew a stray strand of hair from her eyes and sighed. "What am I going to do with you, baby?"

The rambunctious boy leaned over on his head and attempted a somersault, veering sideways instead, and knocking his head on the leg of the coffee table. He cried hard, and she rubbed and kissed the spot tenderly. "Aw, my poor baby," she soothed.

He sprung away and raced to the bookshelves. In a split-second, the majority of the books were in a heap upon the floor.

"No, Carlos!" she cried. "Mommy is cleaning!"

He grinned at her, and continued to empty the shelf. She groaned and went for a cup of coffee. She could sure use the boost. When she returned, not only had the bookshelves been emptied, but the media tower as well. She took a long sip of the coffee, before setting it down on a coaster.

"What have you done Carlitos!" she said, clicking her tongue in dismay. He of course, ignored the question. She groaned at the mess, and leaned down to pick some of it up. That was the precise moment that he chose, to tug on an interesting-looking cord.

A lamp toppled over, and struck him on the top of the head. He wailed, sending the young mother into a panic. She rocked him against her chest, and checked for permanent damage. Other than a small lump, he seemed fine. He sniffled here and there, but continued to disrupt the living room, while she righted the lamp. Its bulb rattled from the fall, and she went to find a replacement. On her way back, she gasped. "My coffee!"

She raced into the room, just in time to hear a scraping sound, as Carlos pulled the coffee mug from the coaster. "No-NO! Carlos! Hot!" He slid it over the edge of the table, and it landed with a mighty splash. The contents spattered like wet paint across the ivory Berber carpet and left a brown stain.

"You're lucky you're not old enough to spank, Carlos!" she cried in exasperation. He looked at the stain and back to her with wide eyes. He pointed at it excitedly and jabbered on, quite animated in his story-telling.

"Yes! That is bad! Look at that mess! Naughty Carlos!" she said. He pouted, his warm brown eyes threatening to spill over. The look he gave her left her feeling a bit guilty, and she quickly retracted her words.

"I'll clean it up. You won't do that again." He looked up at her, seeking forgiveness, and she smiled. He smiled back.

She left for a rag to blot it up with, but shortly returned to an empty living room."Carlos?" she called warily. She flung the rag over the stain and stepped on it. _What was he up to?_ She searched behind the sofa and drapes, typical hiding places of his, and turned up nothing.

"Carlos!" she called. He wasn't in the hallway, and he wasn't headed for the bathroom, thank goodness. _Hmmmmm..._

**_CRASH!_** She flew to the scene of the crime. The kitchen. There she discovered her little boy beneath a bag of flour, several boxes of cake mix, and a mound of pans. The floor was strewn with dog food pellets, from the toppled over bin, and he was flat on his back.

"My baby!" she screamed, falling to her knees. He was out cold. She ran for the phone, and fumbled with the buttons, to call an ambulance.

"Nine-One-One, may I help you?"

"Yes! My baby is unconscious, what do I do?!" she asked frantically.

"Has he been injured?"

"Yes! He pulled some pots and pans down on himself in the kitchen!"

"Is he burned?"

"No! They were in a cabinet!"

"Is he breathing?"

Her heart sank. _Oh my God! Oh my God! _She listened to his tiny chest for a heartbeat. It was strong and steady. She placed her ear to his bow mouth. His breath was sweet and warm.

"YES!" she shouted into the phone.

"Okay, is he bleeding?"

She checked him over. "NO!"

"Has he ever had a head injury, before?"

"Yes. Quite a few...you see he's a very _active_ boy."

"Mmmm-hmmm. Okay, just take him to the nearest emergency room for observation. See if you can wake him now."

She gently shook her baby boy and he slowly opened his eyes. "Carlos! Baby!" she sobbed. "He's awake!" she shouted into the receiver.

"Now, sit him up and see if he can focus."

She sat him up and he swayed a bit. "How old is the child, ma'am? Old enough to speak?"

"He-He's turning one year, this weekend," she said sadly. "He doesn't talk yet."

"Spank?" he said, with big eyes, as he thrust out his lower lip.

"Carlos!" she squealed happily. "You spoke! No, mommy's not mad, mommy's happy!"

"Ma'am?"

"Oh! I'm sorry! He spoke his first word! He said 'spank'! Isn't that wonderful?!"

"That's terrific ma'am. Now get that child to ER right away."

"Oh! I will! Thank you!"

xxx

After a clean bill of health at the hospital, Mr. and Mrs. Garcia drove home with their baby boy, sound asleep in his car seat. He was smiling in his sleep, and twitching like a dreaming puppy. Mrs. Garcia watched him over her shoulder while her husband drove.

"I feel so guilty that he got hurt like that," she said sadly.

"Well, Carlos is a handful. I don't think that I could do any better with him," he said, taking her hand in his comfortingly.

"I just don't know what I would have done, if he had been seriously injured," she continued.

"He's a rough and tumble little guy. It's a hard-knock life for little fellas like him and there will injuries in his future. All we can do is watch out for him and love him with all of our heart. He made to his first birthday at least," he said with a grin. He knocked on the dashboard. She swatted at his arm, in playful rebuke.

xxx

Friends and family gathered in the back yard to celebrate the birth of the energetic one-year old , who had once again tempted fate, and lived to tell about it. When he could eventually speak that is.

"AH, Carlos! Look at all your gifts!" his papi said. Carlos clapped his pudgy hands in glee, knocking over a glass of punch from the table for the third time that day.

"I think he should open up my present first!" his aunt called out, laughing.

"Really? Okay," Mrs. Garcia said, mopping at the new stain. Aunt Christa handed him a colorful gift bag with a smile. He ripped at it and pulled out a cup, jabbering all the while, and studying it every which way. It wasn't just any old cup. It was a spill-proof sippy cup with his initials monogrammed on it. He liked the sports balls on it and the built-in straw. He wanted to drink out of it right away!

Aunt Christa washed and filled the cup while Carlos went to work on tearing into the remaining bags and packages. He was a bundle of energy from all the excitement, and his cousins offered to play with him and his plethora of new toys.

"That would be wonderful!" Mrs. Garcia said to the mob of children. She needed the break to get the food ready.

"Wait! Wait!" Mr. Garcia announced. "I have one more present for my son!"

The murmurs died down and everyone waited in anticipation. He handed the glowing baby boy a large square box. His little chubby hands got busy and he finally tugged open the flaps to reveal its contents.

His face lit up, as he pulled out a miniature hockey helmet.

Everyone _ooohed,_ and _ahhhed_. "So he doesn't wind up with a metal plate in his head!" Mr. Garcia said. Everyone laughed. He placed the helmet on his son's head and strapped it under his chin. They waited to see if he would protest. He grinned, all four teeth showing and picked up his sippy cup. They all took photos.

"Good thinking, sweetheart," Mrs. Garcia said, giving her husband a kiss on the cheek.

He gave her a playful swat on the rump in return. "Spank!" Carlos shouted happily. Everyone roared with laughter, and Mrs. Garcia blushed for the cameras.

**Happy Birthday Carlos! (:**

**Thanks for reading,**

**Crumpet**


	4. Oh, Baby!

**A/N: Thanks to BTR'slovesong, winterschild11, 8412, Sassyascanbe14, S.O.S., Jewel Princess 1992, trannce sea, and LazyLazyWriter!**

**4. Oh, Baby!**

Baby Kendall was the clear depiction of a bouncing baby boy. His feet kicked happily while Mrs. Knight drove to the grocery store. He cooed from the rear-facing carrier in the backseat, making her beam with pride at his adorableness. She could see the bright green eyes reflecting back at her in the M_ommy Mirror,_ and they were shiny and alert. He was watching the ducks bob up and down on the toy bar.

She glanced at the time on the digital clock of her dash, and realized that it was about time to feed and change him. She would do it before she shopped. Being a new mom was a rigid adjustment for her, but she felt like she was finally getting the hang of it.

Kendall's eyes got big when he saw that his mommy was coming, and he puffed up his tiny chest with excitement and grinned. The dents in his cheeks were already pronounced and she laughed at his charm.

"Like I could resist you, anyway!" she said. "You're such a happy baby today."

She kissed him on top of his blond fuzzy head, finding it to be like a drug. She just couldn't get enough of his warm baby scent, and kissed it one more time before unbuckling the carrier from the base. Only this time when she pulled away, his chubby fingers tangled into her hair and tugged as he squealed.

She gently unwound each little finger, and held the tiny fists in hers. "Look how silly mommy looks!" she teased, peeking at him through the crisscross tendrils that he had created.

Kendall stopped cooing, stayed perfectly still, and tried to understand why his mommy looked like that. His eyes were like two big green marbles focused on her. She giggled and giggled at his inquisitive face, and he begin to giggle too. He giggled all the way from his belly, and couldn't stop until he had the hiccups. It was going to be a memorable day for her...

She diapered him and started him on a bottle from the dash warmer. His eyes were heavily lidded, as he suckled and watched the leaves of a tree rustling in the breeze. She sang softly with the birds that seemed to watch and sing just for him. He tried to stay awake and held on to her finger with his soft warm grip, but he lost the battle and fell into a deep content sleep.

She waited a couple of minutes to make sure that he was under completely, before lifting him to her shoulder. He hadn't burped yet, and it was obvious that it wasn't going to happen now. She placed him back into the carrier and hooked it to a cart seat. She pulled her shopping list from her diaper bag, planning to stick to it and efficiently shop for only the necessary items.

Upon entering, an elderly couple approached the cart and admired the sleeping infant. "**So cute!"** the man shouted, fidgeting with his hearing-aid.

Mrs. Knight's eyes widened. "Thank you," she mouthed, figuring that he couldn't hear her anyway.

"**What was that, dear?!" **the woman shouted even louder than her partner. She began to hack dangerously close to Kendall.

Mrs. Knight gasped and tossed the plaid flannel blanket over the handle of the carrier, eyes bulging and ready for a confrontation. She calmed down enough to smile politely, and whisk the cart out of their reach before releasing a calming breath. She peeked in to find him still sleeping peacefully.

She was halfway through her grocery list, when she heard a sudden gurgle beneath the blanket. She pulled it back, and to her horror, he was emptying the entire contents of his wee belly all over the front of him.

"Oops," she said, when she saw the smile fade from a young girl's face who had stopped to take a peek over her shoulder. She dabbed at his chin with a flannel burp cloth and pulled out of the lane of shoppers.

Kendall was fussing now, and his cheeks looked flushed. She worried that maybe she had overheated him under the blanket, and quickly removed it. He felt warm and he was looking at her as if he wanted her to help him feel better. How had things gone so wrong, so quick?

"Okay, Kendall," she soothed, lifting him from his seat. He cried harder and his wail echoed through the high ceilings. Everyone seemed to stare now and she felt like the worst mother ever. His face was a vivid red and he was shaking. She did the only thing that she could think of to do, she abandoned her cart right there and took her baby boy back to the car.

He protested the entire way, alerting her that something was terribly wrong, and her heart raced. He had never done this and she was a nervous wreck. She murmured words of comfort and tried rocking him, hoping that he just had an air bubble, but nothing seemed to work. At her wit's end, she buckled him in and headed for home.

The neighbors stared from their yards, while she brought the screaming infant into the house. What kind of mother was she, she thought to herself. She put him in his swing and called her husband.

"Something's wrong with Kendall!" she said in tears. "Nothing is calming him down! Do you hear him?!"

He could definitely hear his son from the other end of the line. "Does he have a stomach ache?' he asked.

"I don't know! He drank a whole bottle of milk, and then slept...he woke up screaming!"

"Well, calm down honey, my nephew did that too once," he assured her.

"Oh. Good! What was wrong with David?" she asked.

There was a long silence on the other end. "Uh..."

"Honey?"

"He had...um..." he coughed.

Kendall wailed louder. "What?! I can't hear you, honey!"

"He had whooping-cough, honey...but don't get hysterical. Kendall's been vaccinated for that, hasn't he?"

"No! Not yet! He still has vaccines scheduled! How do I know that he's protected against it?!" she cried, in tears.

She hated to admit that she had intentionally missed the last scheduled appointment because she couldn't bear to watch them inject him. He looked at her with those eyes... It was as if he were saying, "Save me mommy! They're hurting me! Don't let them!"

She felt horribly guilty now. What if he did have whooping-cough and it was all her fault? "I have to take his temperature! I have to go!" she told him. Her voice full of panic.

"Honey-wait! Don't get hysterical! He'll be fine. Kids get sick all the time."

"**Sure. I'll call you!"** she said hysterically, as she hung up.

xxx

Kendall was lying on his changing pad, whimpering pitifully while she took his temperature. Tears were streaming down her face as much as his. "One hundred and three degrees!" she cried aloud.

Kendall began to cry too. If mommy stressed, he stressed. She wrapped him in his blanket and flew down the stairs. The motion made him vomit again. She wondered where it could even come from. Hadn't he emptied his miniature tummy earlier?

"**Doctor Phillips?!"** she yelled into the receiver.

"No, it's his nurse. I can hear you just fine, ma'am."

"**Kendall is ill!"** she yelled, anyway.

"Ma'am, I don't know who Kendall is, but you need to take a deep breath."

"**Don't you tell me to take a deep breath...you! You! You horrible nurse!"** she shouted.

The nurse sighed. She was clearly a first-time hysterical mom. She hated those. "Okay, ma'am, here's the deal. Either we work together and get your son well, or you phone another office that is willing to take you."

Mrs. Knight stopped hyperventilating for a moment to comprehend the suggestion. "All right," she said weakly. **"Just tell me what to do!"** she screamed.

"Does he have a fever, ma'am?" she asked in a monotone voice, desperately attempting to keep the woman sane.

"**Yes! One hundred and three!"** she sobbed.

"How old is Kendall?"

"**He's five months!"**

"Well, actually one hundred and three is not that bad for a baby his age-"

"**It's not?! Why not?!"**

"Look, why don't you just bring the baby in and we'll take a look at him. Does he have other symptoms?"

Kendall was still fussing and Mrs. Knight couldn't think straight. "He threw up and he's fussy and he's looking at me like I'm a monster and-"

"Ma'am, I get the point. Please, just bring him in," she said flatly.

xxx

They arrived at the clinic in record time. Mrs. Knight having no recollection of how she'd even gotten there. She grabbed the now whimpering baby from the car and carried him frantically into the office.

"**Kendall Knight coming through!" **she roared, shoving her way through the crowd. The patients glared at her and huddled over their own children as she bounded through.

"Ahhhh, Mrs. Knight," the nurse greeted, her lips twitching in amusement. "Please do us all a favor, and come back right away," she said.

The crowd glowered at her but didn't protest. They had overheard the phone conversation and didn't want to tolerate her outbursts. She followed the nurse to a room and set her bundle of joy on the table.

"You can undress Kendall and lay him on the table. I'll be back to get his weight and vitals."

Mrs. Knight tore the clothing from her baby, believing that it was a matter of life and death. The nude baby trembled in the cooler air and his little face contorted. He screamed and his little body shook. The nurse returned, a bit surprised at the decibel he had managed to reach.

She put a gloved finger into his mouth and he stopped immediately. "How-How did you do that?" Mrs. Knight asked.

"He senses that I'm calm," she said nonchalantly.

Mrs. Knight stared at the back of her head. Was that intended to be an insult? The nurse listened to his chest and wrote something down on his chart. Mrs. Knight watched her every move. Then she measured and weighed him. After re-taking his temperature and looking him over briefly, she informed her that he was not urgent, and that the doctor would be in soon.

She held her baby to her chest and promised him that she would not let anyone hurt him. Doctor Phillips stepped in warily. He had obviously been warned about her, and he forced a false smile.

"Mrs. Knight?"

"**Yes! Oh, thank God you're here! Kendall is sick and I don't even know what is wrong!_"_** she ranted.

"Yes, well just let me take a look," he said. He approached the table and Kendall eyed him with distrust. As soon as the doctor's hands were on him, he began to wail again.

"He does have some lungs, doesn't he? At least we know that they're clear," he said, laughing nervously. He couldn't help but worry about what the other patients were thinking in the waiting room.

He felt the baby's abdomen and looked into his eyes, ears, nose and throat. "A slight inflammation of the membranes," he said calmly. "A little antibiotic will do the trick. I'll prescribe Amoxicillin in liquid-form, and you can just give him a dose three times per day."

"That's it? He's okay?" she asked breathlessly. "Then why is he throwing up?"

"Well babies his age tend to do that even when the illness isn't related to his digestive system. He may also have stressed, sensing your stress," he added.

Mrs. Knight's mouth dropped. The nerve of the man, she thought.

" I do see though that he is due for a series of vaccines that were scheduled though, and-"

"Oh yeah, well I will call and make an appointment for those when he's not ill," she cut in quickly.

"Really there is no reason at all that it can't be done today. He is falling behind-"

"I don't think his immune system can handle that now," she interrupted again.

The nurse stepped in with a tray of syringes and smiled. "See there, Mrs. Knight? I knew Kendall would be just fine," she said with the first genuine smile.

How did she know that he would find her baby healthy enough for vaccines?! She made a last attempt to post-pone them. "I don't want to worry about whether his fever is from the vaccine or an illness," she said in a panic.

"We give them all the time ma'am, and it might even actually help his immune system kick in," Doctor Phillips said. Now he was calling her ma'am like some annoying nuisance?

She conceded and stepped aside. Kendall's eyes followed her. She closed her own tightly and held her breath. When she opened them, the nurse had a handful of chubby thigh and was jabbing the needle in. He looked at her accusingly, and screamed his displeasure.

"**Oh, Baby!"** Mrs. Knight managed to say, just before she fainted.

The doctor helped her to her feet and walked her over to a chair. Kendall's screams were vibrating off of the walls, and she swooned. The nurse stuck him again and he screamed louder. Mrs. Knight gagged.

"**Stop!" **she cried.

"He won't remember any of this," the doctor assured her.

"Are you sure?!"

"Yes," he said.

"All done," the nurse said, swaddling the distraught baby in his plaid blanket and handing him back to his mother. "Will you be okay, Mrs. Knight?" she asked with true concern.

"Whew! I think so," she said, wiping the perspiration from her brow. "That was so painful!"

The nurse and doctor exchanged meaningful looks with one another. "First-time mother," they said in unison.

xxx

**I'm about to go back to on-line classes, so I'm trying to do most of my up-dating this week. ): If anyone wants something in particular up-dated for sure, let me know. I will make sure of it! (:**

**Crumpet**


	5. The Crowning Of James

**A/N: As I mentioned in my profile, for those of you who read those things, I am cleaning house and putting out some of the ideas that have resided in my head. This will just be a series of useless little one-shots taking the boys from toddlers to present. I know it's been done many times but it's so fun!**

**5. The Crowning Of James**

This was a very, very important day. After all, her handsome son would only turn four, once! Mrs. Diamond was scurrying about, making sure that every decoration was in place, and that the caterers were doing their job properly. Satisfied that the backyard party, was indeed _fit for a king,_ she smiled and rechecked the guest list. Where was Mrs. Garcia? She distinctly ordered her to arrive by noon! She needed help with the gift bags, and they weren't even filled yet!

She began to panic a bit, when she saw on her cellphone that it was already a quarter past! Those bags were to be the highlight of the party! Well, at least _one _of the highlights. Along with the string quartet, acrobats, spaceship bouncy house...the nerve of that woman!

"Oh hi, Sylvia! You're here!"

"Of course! Sorry I'm late Brooke, but we have a little surprise planned for James, and-"

"Oh, never mind that!" Mrs. Diamond said, whisking her away. "We have _thee_ ultimate gift bags to prepare!"

With that, she hauled her off, stumbling to keep up with the rambunctious woman, and drug her into a secret back room used solely for gift wrapping. It was certainly a sight to behold! On two long tables lay the latest techy gadgets, expensive toys, and loads of imported candies.

"Well, what do you think?" Mrs. Diamond asked.

"I think it's a bit over the top-" Mrs. Garcia did not finish her thought, when she saw the dazed, ecstatic look in Mrs. Diamond's vibrant blue eyes. "of th-the moon!" she said instead.

"I know! Let's get them ready!" she said excitedly.

xxx

The children gathered around James. He sat at the head of the table in his decorated throne, with a large lop-sided crown atop his glorious head. His mom sneaked up behind him and adjusted it to sit straight, just before the photographer snapped a picture. He beamed one of his cheesecake smiles that he was already perfecting at the ripe age of four, and stared back at the adoring faces. His smile, revealing the gap where his front teeth had been. Mrs. Diamond was devastated when they had been knocked out during a pee-wee hockey game, but the dentist had assured her that the second ones would come in just fine.

His adorable little pink cheeks glowed with joy when he saw the table with all of the presents piled high. First, they would dine on salad, shrimp, baked potatoes, and asparagus, then there would be three cakes to choose from, loads of gourmet ice cream...and then, he could tackle those presents!

When everyone sang _Happy Birthday,_ James glowed. This day was all about him! He wished for fame, fortune and great friends, and blew out the candles in one fluid breath. He smiled at his best friends, Kendall and Carlos. They were eager to eat cake and ice cream, and he led them to a grand table, where they could choose between chocolate ganache, almond buttercream, carrot, or a three-layer raspberry torte. They couldn't eat the one with the candles, that he had just blown out, because it had been swept away, and considered 'contaminated'.

James noticed the small brunet boy from hockey, who always seemed to follow the three of them around. Why was he there? Oh yeah, his mom had invited _all _of the boys from hockey. He thought about telling him to get lost like he usually did, but what the heck, it was his birthday and he was in a good mood.

"Wanna' come play with thus?" James asked, lisping through his gap.

"Yeah!" Logan said, without hesitation. He never actually had a conversation with any of them before, yet somehow he felt like he belonged with them.

"I'm going to open up my pwesents firsth, then we can play all day!" James announced, bouncing up and down.

They went to the gift tables and watched in fascination, as he opened up package after package of amazing items.

"Wow!" Logan exclaimed. "You swure haf a lot of cool stuff!"

"I know!" James squealed, sounding just like a mini version of his mama.

He handed out the gift bags and before they knew it, fifty miniature boys were running around on the lawn with light sabers, battling one another.

"Be careful boys!" Mrs. Diamond called. "Those are just for show, I believe!"

xxx

The band was playing and the boys' cheeks were stuffed with candy. "Can fwe jump in fa bounthy houth?" Carlos asked while he chewed.

"Sure, lesth go!" James lisped.

They bounced happily in the spaceship, making alien noises for special effects, until two twin boys threw up inside of the ship, and the fan blew the stench around in the hot July air.

"Sthinks!" Kendall yelled, screaming and running away. They followed, gagging and turning green from the smell.

They played party games until Mrs. Garcia mysteriously waved to the boys and called them over. "What isth it mom?" Carlos asked.

"Your dad and I have a special surprise for James, and we want you to all be present for it!"

All of the little boys gathered to sit cross-legged on the lawn, and wait for the mystery to unravel itself. They noticed a rolling rack that seemed to appear out of nowhere, with a shiny royal blue and bright yellow, curtain. It was wiggling suspiciously, and they just knew in their tiny thumping hearts that something incredible, was about to be revealed.

Mr. and Mrs. Garcia tugged back the shimmering curtain and...James screamed at the top of his lungs, tears streaming down his little pink cheek as he sobbed and bolted away, arms flailing above his head. He disappeared behind a hill, still wailing.

The other little boys, not knowing what was wrong with the birthday boy, jumped up blubbering in fear too, and raced after him. The clown, complete with big bulbous red nose, white face and floppy shoes, had to be a maniacal killer, to have James so terrified!

"Oh dear!" Mrs. Diamond cried. "James is petrified of clowns!"

"We're so, _so_ sorry! We had no idea!" apologized Mrs. Garcia, but the collective sound of fifty still shrieking boys, drowned the apology out...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES!

**Please drop a review and let me know if you like this sort of thing! (: I will not neglect my other stories.**

**Crumpet**


	6. A Happy Meal It Is

**A/N: A big thanks to winterschild11, Physco WiTh a CaPiTal S, WithLoveAlways, LazyLazyWriter, and my anonymous guest!**

**Okay...I secretly knew that James was _really _afraid of clowns! (:**

**6. A Happy Meal It Is**

It was pee-wee hockey season once again. Mrs. Mitchell tried to balance the laundry in her arms and keep Logan from falling off of the bar stool as she answered the ringing phone.

"Hi, Mrs. Mitchell?"

"Yes?"

"This is Mrs. Knight. I'm Kendall's mom?"

"Yes, I believe we met at sign-up and then again at the Diamond birthday party."

"Yes! I'm sorry to bother you with this on such short notice, but would there be any way that Kendall could ride along with you and come home with you for a couple of hours after the game? I forgot about an important appointment. I would pick him up as soon as possible tonight."

"Uh...Logan, stop that! Put it down _right _now! Sorry about that. Sure, no problem We're going shopping tonight though. Is it okay if I bring Kendall along?"

"Oh yeah, that would be fine with me. Look I really appreciate this. I'll have him ready for the game, then I'll pick him up 7:00 P.M., then?"

"Great. Our address is 3305 Sycamore Lane, and it's the blue house on the right-hand side, when you do come later. _Logan! _See you then, Bye!" she said in a rush. "Oh! Is your house the white one on the corner of Pine and Spruce?"

"Yes." They had never realized just how close they lived to one another, before.

xxx

Mrs. Mitchell strapped her son into his car seat and climbed behind the wheel. She sighed. It was a gloomy day, and she was wanting nothing more than to just relax. After loading up the gear and snacks, she was eager to drink the coffee, that was now only tepid in the cup holder.

She turned on the wipers and pulled out. _Swish...swish...swish. _Her eyes drooped. Logan had been a handful all day, and she was just so darn drowsy.

_Thump!...Thump!_

"Logan, are you kicking the back of my seat?"

"Nope, mommy!" He giggled.

_Thump!...Thump!_

"Logan!"

"Nope! Not me!" He giggled harder.

_**Thump!...Thump!**_

"**Stop it, right now!" ** She thought that she may have seen a little pink tongue come out at her, in her rear-view mirror, but she couldn't be sure.

"Mommieeeeeee..."

"What?"

"I want a Happy Meal!"

"No. We are on our way to pick up Kendall and we have a game to get to. Later, we will go shopping. Maybe then."

"I want a Happy Meal, **_now!_** **_Thump!...Thump!_**

"No! And did you just kick my seat again?"

"_**Now,**_ mommy!" _**Thump!...Thump!**_

Mrs. Mitchell considered herself a fairly patient woman, but her patience was wearing thin. The rain came down harder, and she fought to focus on finding the knob that would increase the wiper speed.

_**Thump!...Thump!**_

"**I said no! Not now Logan!"**

"**Yes! I want a Happy Meal!" **he yelled at the top of his little powerful lungs. **_Thump!...Thump!_**

"**Ahhh! Logan Mitchell! I said NO, and that's final! And stop kicking my seat!" **She gave him the 'mom eyes' in the mirror, just to be certain that she had made her point.

Just as she pulled to the stoplight, she looked at him again in the mirror. He pursed his lips at her, then puffed his chubby cheeks up, full of air.

"_Logan!_ _Don't you dare!"_ she warned.

He knew that she meant it, and he knew that she would be mad at him, but...

"**_Phweghhhh!" _**He blew the biggest loudest raspberry that he could muster, right at the back of her head.

Her eyes grew wide, and his eyes grew even wider when he realized what he had done. He looked up at the mirror guiltily. The eyes that looked back flashed with anger.

The light turned green and she put her turn signal on. He knew that it was not the way to the game. He hoped that it was the way to Kendall's house. She went into the far right lane, and rather impatiently, he thought. He swallowed. She pulled into the first parking lot she found, and veered into a vacant spot. This could not be good. They didn't even shop at _Choppers For Less!_

She threw the car in park and left the motor running, while she clamored out. He tensed. _Uh-Oh!_ She left her door wide open, and yanked his door open. He whimpered. She undid the car seat straps and pulled him out. In one quick swoop, she bent him over his seat and gave him a sound spanking.

He cried because it hurt, but he was indignant too. _How could she do this to him?_ He stomped his foot in anger. She gave him another swat and picked him up, still flailing, to give him some good advice. He raised his chin defiantly at her. He was pretty sure, that a man on a motorcycle was watching the entire thing!

"You misbehave_ one_ more time, and you will get another one, even if Kendall is there," she warned sternly. He nodded, big brown eyes still spilling over. He pouted, but dropped the attitude immediately. Suddenly, kicking her seat didn't seem like much fun.

When they pulled up to Kendall's house, Mrs. Knight was waiting outside with the boy and his car seat. Logan peered out at the blond curiously. He remembered him from the party, but hadn't spoken to him since.

"Hi! Thanks for doing this! I wouldn't have had time to take him!" Mrs. Knight said.

"That's okay! I'm sure you'll be returning the favor, sometime!"

Mrs. Knight smiled. "It's a deal!" She waved them off and blew her son a kiss. "Be good!"

Kendall grinned at Logan. Logan grinned back. Kendall liked the way he looked. He liked his dark eyes that looked like two dark buttons against his skin, and the way that they twinkled when he smiled. He also liked the dents in his face that popped out. He had those too.

Logan liked the way Kendall looked. He liked his bright green eyes, and the way they twinkled too. He also liked the familiar dents in _his_ cheeks. "Look what I have!" Logan said. He showed him a Batman figure that he was clenching in his little fist.

Kendall's eyes lit up. "Cool! Look what I brought!" He stuck his hand in his jacket pocket, and tugged until he liberated an action figure of his own. "Spiderman!"

Logan smiled wider. They battled with the two figures, and Mrs. Mitchell couldn't help but smile as she drove. She finally relaxed, turned up the radio, and took a big swig of her cold coffee.

"Do you wanna' know a secret?" Kendall asked in a whisper.

"Yeah!" Logan whispered back.

Kendall pulled a small container from his bag and showed it to him. It was a baby frog.

"Wow!" Logan whispered, his eyes round. He put a small finger to his lips. "Don't tell my mom!" He leaned in closer to Kendall's ear. "She'll scream!"

Kendall quickly tucked it back into his bag. They giggled. "Do_ you _wanna' know a secret?" Logan asked.

"Sure!"

"I just got a spankin'!" Logan whispered.

Kendall's eyes grew big. "Why? What did you do?"

"I wanted a Happy Meal!" he answered sadly. Kendall reached over a small comforting hand, and took the even smaller one.

"I want one too. They have a really neat sweet toy in it now!"

"I know!" Logan whispered. "It's a Power Ranger!"

Mrs. Mitchell had arrived at the school parking lot. She could not be more grateful than she was, for the distraction the little blond boy created. They had behaved perfectly.

xxx

When the game ended and the boys had actually won, they headed for the shopping center.

"You boys did fantastic! And I think that your friendship helped you all play better!" Mrs. Mitchell said. They smiled up at her.

They shopped until they had checked off every item on her list. She finished loading up the trunk with the various packages, and went to place the two sugary sweet little boys, into their car seats. She stopped and knelt to Kendall's level.

"Kendall? Are you hungry, honey? Would you like to get something to eat?" He nodded shyly, fidgeting with his small hands, behind his back. "Okay...let's see. I need to pick up something healthy for the two of you. I guess, at the grocery store," she said decisively.

She had no idea how Mrs. Knight fed her son, and she didn't think she should risk it. _Hmmmm..._

"Misthis Mitchell?" a small voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes, honey?"

"I would like to have a Happy Meal," Kendall said shyly, looking up at her from under his lashes.

"Oh..." She looked over at her son, who looked back with big innocent brown eyes and shrugged at her. In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but wonder if it were just a big coincidence, or if they had somehow planned...

No. It had to be in her imagination. The two adorable boys were truly precious together. They had been perfect angels, as she drug them from store to store, and they got along so well.

"Oh. Well...okay, I guess it might be okay, just this one time. Does your mama let you have them?"

Kendall dug the toe of one small shoe into the pavement, and looked down with a sheepish grin. "Sometimes," he said quietly.

"Okay, then. You are our guest today, and a Happy Meal it is!" She patted him on his shiny blonde head, and helped him into his seat.

As she traveled around to the other side of the car, and was about to climb in, she _thought _ that she had just witnessed the slapping together of two tiny hands, and a victorious fist-punch to the air..._maybe, _but she was certain that it was just her imagination.

**:)**

**Crumpet**


	7. Fully Charged

**A/N: Thanks to winterschild11, Physco WiTh a CaPiTaL S, WithLoveAlways, LazyLazyWriter, EmilyHenderson99, Kschmidtluvr24, molleytree, and anonymous guests for reviewing the last two one-shots. **

**7. Fully Charged**

The rambunctious four and a half year-old had already spent the morning hours at preschool, followed by lunch and frisbie at the park, two hours of tumbling at _Gymboree, _and a one-hour, afternoon bible-study camp, before Mrs. Garcia decided that she just had to get home and start dinner.

Little Carlos had barely entered the house before he tossed his day-bag down to the tiled floor of the foyer, and raced through the dining room. Hardly taking the time to open the sliding door, before bounding into the back yard and tackling the slide. He climbed and slid, over and over again.

He swung on the swing, pumping his little legs with vim and vigor, while singing _God Bless America, _climbed the monkey bars, and chased the dog around in circles. He was about to climb the apple tree, when his mom called him in to help set the table for dinner.

Apparently, the long list of activities had done little to squelch his excess energy, because he only had to be asked once about his day, to unleash it all.

"I-I played with Brian, and then I-I played with Jill, and we went to the bookshelf and got some books to read, and we played with all of the-"

"Carlos, baby! Slow down, I can hardly understand you, and I want to hear!" It always amazed her, how her son could manage to squash an entire day into one continuous sentence. They sat down to eat together while Carlos continued the story.

"Okay mommy, I got to help Mrs. Wilkins with the papers, and I taught Johnny how to run really, really fast, and I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with Kate because she didn't like her egg salad..."

Mrs. Garcia made a plate for her husband, since his shift wasn't over for a few more hours. Carlos kept her company while she wrapped it and placed it in the fridge.

"So I knew that he had a new puppy because he said that he was gonna' get one for his birfday..."

The tiny voice followed her throughout the house as she tidied up. "...Then we all went outside because we were 'sposed to play with the big rainbow parachute, but Mrs. Jones didn't want to go outside because it looked like it might rain..." He finally paused for a breath. "Okay, then I built a castle out of legos, and I colored in a coloring book that had the _Hulk_ in it, so I made him green...because you know that the _Hulk_ is my favorite! Mommy, are you listening?"

"Yes baby, I'm listening."

xxx

"Brooke? Would you mind if I _borrowed_ James for the night?" Mrs. Garcia asked. "Since it's Friday and the boys don't have to get up early tomorrow for school, I was hoping that they could get together and play."

"Sure. I can catch up on a few things that I haven't had time to do," Mrs. Diamond said. "I'll bring him by in a few."

"You're a life-saver."

A half hour later, the two boys were playing tag in the back yard. "Tag, you're it!" Carlos yelled, practically knocking James to the ground with a slap to the back.

"Ow! Wait thill I catch you!" James lisped, running full-speed ahead. Carlos screamed and giggled as he ran.

When it was almost dusk, Mrs. Garcia called them inside. "I have some games set out for you boys to play right after your bath, okay?" They nodded.

She filled the tub with bubbles and toy boats and helped the two in. They played for over a half-hour before getting bored and water-logged.

"Mrs. Garcthia!" James called.

"Yes, James?"

"Our fingers and toesth look like waisins!" he said.

"Okay sweetie, I'm coming!" She put down her magazine and dried the boys off. They happily donned their pajamas and chased each other down the stairs. She sighed. Those little dickens should be worn out by now, she thought.

Wrong again, she found them on a step-stool, hip to hip, trying to reach for the cookie jar.

"Carlos! You know you're supposed to ask me before you have cookies at night!" He pouted, hoping his mom would be swayed by the puppy-dog eyes, and waited for her decision. Afraid that she might be like _his_ mom and not cave easily, James thrust out his lower lip as well, and added a "_Pleeeeathe?"_

"Oh, all right," she said. Carlos beamed his friend a happy smile.

She placed four cookies on a saucer and poured two glasses of milk. She would come to regret that choice only minutes later.

James and Carlos were more hyper than ever, after the dose of sugar. They were rolling around in a heap when she returned from the kitchen.

"Boys!" she shouted, "stop that, right now! Someone is going to get hurt!" That is when another idea struck her.

xxx

"Jennifer? It's Sylvia. I was wondering if maybe Kendall could come and spend the night. James is already here and they would love to have another play-buddy tonight. They already had a bath and are in their pjs."

"That would be great, especially if I could pick Kendall up about noon tomorrow. I could stop by work for a couple of hours and catch up on a few things."

"Great! Anytime is fine."

"I'll be there in just a few minutes. Kendall is just getting out of his bath."

Mrs. Knight dropped him off in his Spiderman pajamas with a blanket and pillow, and a new toy. It wasn't just any toy though, it was a super cool one that all four boys had pined for, and that Kendall's uncle had actually purchased. It was the new deep space, rocket launcher set, with light up burner, and glow-in-the-dark planet station.

When the boys saw the toy they went berserk. They _became_ the cartoon characters and waged an all-out battle of aliens versus astronauts, complete with obnoxious sound effects. Mrs. Garcia was beginning to feel a headache coming on and she saw no sign of the boys getting tired.

She was listening to the boys squabble over who got Kendall on their side, when she got the idea. It was her last hope, and she really just wanted some peace and quiet for a while, before her husband came home.

xxx

"Joanne? It's Sylvia, Carlos' mom. Look, the other two boys are sleeping over tonight, kind of a spur of the moment thing, and I was wondering if Logan could join us. They won't be up too much longer, but that way Logan won't feel left out when he finds out."

Mrs. Mitchell really wasn't too keen on the idea of taking Logan out at night when she would typically be sending him to bed now, but she didn't want him to think that he wasn't wanted. Mrs. Garcia could still hear the bickering over who would have an extra person on their side. She muffled the receiver with her palm and held her breath. Logan was such a smart and sensible little boy, surely he could resolve the issue by balancing the numbers, also maybe talking some sense into the other three.

"I guess I could bring him by just this once. I normally don't let-"

Not wanting her to talk herself out of it, Mrs. Garcia interrupted. "Oh good! The boys will be so excited! I'll let them know that he is on his way!"

With that, she climbed the stairs and shared the news. "Boys! Don't argue! You will have even teams when Logan gets here!"

"Yay!" they cheered.

"Thith isth like a sthlumber party!" James said.

"It kind of is!" she said cheerfully. "Now stop fighting, clean this mess up, and I'll set aside those movies for the four of you to choose from later. Should I make popcorn tonight?"

"Yes, mommy!" Carlos sang. She knew he was excited, if he pulled out the 'mommy endearment'.

Logan walked in front of his mother timidly, wearing his batman pajamas. He stared at the carpet and clutched a handful of her shirt hem. She knelt down to her son's eye-level. "Logan, I'll be back to pick you up in the morning right after breakfast, okay?"

He shook his head. "No?" she said.

"NO," he whispered. "I'm sleepy and I don't feel like playing.

Mrs. Garcia couldn't be happier. It was music to her ears...too tired to play! Ahhh, he was going to be a good influence on the other boys.

"Logan, you won't have to stay up. You can tell the boys that you would like to go to sleep and play in the morning," Mrs. Garcia said.

He looked up at her suspiciously. "Then, why am I here?"

He was too darn smart for his own good. "Uh...to watch one movie of your choice, have some popcorn, and go to sleep?" she said hopefully.

"I don't want any popcorn," he said with a sulk.

"This is his first time sleeping somewhere other than home, so just give me a call if he gets homesick," Mrs. Mitchell said. She kissed him on the cheek and walked away. Logan's eyes grew wide when he saw his mother head for the door and he was dangerously close to tears.

"Boys!" Mrs. Garcia called, hoping for a distraction. They came tumbling down the stairs in a heap.

"Hi Logan!" Kendall cried. "Wanna' play?

Logan thought for a moment, then dropped his stuff and ran to them, hugging Kendall tight. She breathed a sigh of relief. She walked Mrs. Mitchell out the door, reassuring her that he would be fine.

It wasn't long before the boys had stripped the cushions from the sofa and began to back flip from the chair. She couldn't help but wonder whether or not it had actually been Logan's idea, when she saw him executing the perfect backward roll and landing, that she had ever seen.

"Boys, behave! Your moms would _not_ be happy if you got hurt! Now go play nicely while I make some popcorn." They looked at her defiantly, but Logan nudged them upstairs.

That did not last long before she found the boys sliding down the stairs on box lids. "NO! NO!" she yelled. The boys stopped immediately and put their little hands on their hips. "No stair play! I'm going to make that popcorn now, and you can color or play a board-game while you wait. They pulled faces over the thought of coloring and board-games, and retreated back upstairs.

She wondered if it had been Logan's idea to slide down the stairs, because he was the one cheering Kendall on when she happened upon them. Maybe he wasn't so innocent after all. Pushing the thought aside, she made the popcorn and carried it into the rec-room. She rounded up the boys who had finally successfully completed the alien game now that they had even teams, and sat them on the sofa. See, I knew that having the four of them together would be easier, she thought to herself.

Logan got to choose the movie because she had promised him, and he chose _The Land Before Time._ They munched on popcorn and snuggled together with their blankets and pillows. She finished putting away the dishes and tidying up the rest of the house before she even realized how quiet they had become.

She entered the rec-room and searched for the tops of little heads over the sofa, but there were none. Coming closer, she found them sound asleep, little limbs intertwined and bow mouths slightly open. She couldn't help but smile at how adorable they looked.

xxx

Mr. Garcia set his keys down on the table and found his wife. "Awwww" he murmured, "aren't they cute?"

She nodded, and he pulled her away for a moment to give her a quick kiss. "How did we get so lucky to have all four tonight," he asked.

"Oh, I hope you don't mind. I couldn't get Carlos to settle down, and I started with just having James over. He turned out to be a handful tonight too though, so I ended up with Kendall as well." Her husband tried not to laugh. "He was a bit wild himself..."

He chuckled. "So let me guess. You called Mrs. Mitchell and asked to borrow her perfect little angel, too?"

"Yep. And you wouldn't have thought that he was earlier either, but now...they're all just perfect little angels."

He carried the boys up the stairs one-by-one, and placed them in the beds. He turned off the light and closed the door. He climbed in beside his wife and grinned. "They are out cold. What did you do to those boys, to make them_ that_ exhausted?"

She shrugged. "I guess that their batteries just finally ran down."

Laughing, they turned off the lights and fell asleep only to be awoken an hour later by a strange noise. Mr. Garcia, always the cop at heart, threw on his bathrobe and grabbed his gun. He stalked the hallway and slithered along the wall, closely shadowed by his wife who refused to let him leave her alone.

They noticed a light streaming under Carlos' door. He slowly pushed it ajar and peeked inside. All four boys were jumping from the beds with blankets tied around their necks as capes. They never even noticed the spectators. Mrs. Garcia couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed and shocked at what she saw. How could they possibly be awake already, after all she'd done to subdue them? And was that Logan, participating in this naughty behavior?

Mr. Garcia stifled a laugh, and she just shook her head. "Well, what should we do?" he whispered.

"Let's just let them be. No harm I guess, as long as they stay in the room," she whispered back.

He led his wife back to bed and they fell into a deep slumber while listening to the muffled thumps and giggles next door.

The next time they opened their eyes it was light out, and the dog was whimpering at the foot of the bed to go out.

"**Mommy!"** Carlos called from the hallway. Mr. Garcia looked at the clock on the nightstand.

"It's six o'clock in the morning!" he groaned. "What happened to draining their batteries?"

"They're fully charged_ now,_" she moaned.

"**Mommy! Kendall flooded the sink! James slipped on the wata' and he's cwying! We're hungry and Logan burned all the pancakes!" **Carlos shouted through the door. They bolted upright, eyes wide open.

_"Oh my God!"_ they said in unison and raced for the door. Maybe the four of them together, wasn't such a good idea after all...


	8. Kendall's Keepers

**A/N: Thanks to all of the wonderful reviewers: winterschild11, Physco WiTh a CaPiTaL S, LazyLazyWriter, ms. nick jonas, and molleytree .**

**8. Kendall's Keepers**

The small boys on the ice were practically prisoners of their own bulky uniforms. They skated clumsily into one another and more than one was lying flat on his back. The miniature goalie saw the puck coming and lunged for it, landing on his chest with a thud, watching the puck sail by at a painfully slow pace.

A group of parents from the opposing team, cheered in the bleachers as if their sons had just broken a world record. Mrs. Knight's mouth formed a straight line when she caught sight of the disappointment in the green eyes of her own little boy.

It wasn't long however, before she was the one cheering obnoxiously from the stands when their side scored. She tried to remind herself how she hated people such as herself and threw an apologetic smile to the scowling parents.

By some stroke of luck, her son's team accidentally scored more points than the other team accidentally scored , and they won the game. All of the boys skated to the center of the ice as they had been taught by their coaches to do, and slapped hands with the opposing team.

That is when something suddenly went terribly wrong. Kendall's blade caught with the blade of another little boy and locked, just as he went to slide away. It brought him down to the ice face-first. A loud pitiful cry sounded, alerting her that her boy was hurt.

"_WHAAAAAAAAA!"_

It was the same cry that she had heard, when he had fallen off of the concrete wall by her parent's house. It was the same cry that she heard, when he had stepped on glass, and had a piece embedded in the ball of his foot. And it was remarkably similar to the cry she had heard, when he'd been catapulted from a swing and skinned both knees raw.

Her heart began to race when she heard the coach shout for a medic, and the familiar cry was still ringing out like an alarm, signaling his mom. She feared what she would find when they rolled him over, as she made her way on the slippery surface precariously, shoving aside anyone and everyone who stood in her way. She dropped to her knees by her son.

James, Carlos and Logan had beaten her to it though, and had already begun to comfort him. She pushed back the feeling that she were actually intruding, and kissed her son's bloody cheek. She opened her mouth, about to reign down words of wisdom and maternal healing, when another little voice came out instead.

"It's okay, Kendall," Logan's tiny voice said, "you won't even need stitches or nuthin'"

Even through the tears, he visibly brightened at the words and the sound of his friend's voice. Mrs. Knight stroked back the damp blonde bangs from his ruddy face, and watched as Kendall finally acknowledged her.

"Hi-uhh-Mom-uhh!" he greeted between shuddering sobs.

Carlos had already taken a hold of his little hand in his, and she didn't want to take away the obvious comfort that the gesture was bringing him. Instead, she hobbled on her knees over to the other side of his prone body, and grasped the only free one.

"Don't worry sweetie, Mommy's going to be right-"

She was cut off by another small voice, belonging to James this time. "I won't leavth you Kendall, I thswear!" he lisped. Kendall stared up at him and nodded gratefully.

Mrs. Knight, feeling somewhat unnecessary at the moment as she observed mini-triage team at work, backed away graciously. "I'm here if you need me, Baby," she called hopefully.

"Okay, Mom," he said, only looking into the eyes of his three doting friends. She sighed wistfully.

The medic tossed his kit to the ice and knelt to the injured boy. He shone a pen-light into his eyes and assessed the injuries. Kendall whimpered and wriggled as he pressed down on the various sore areas.

"Fractured cheekbone, fat lip, and bloodied nose," he rattled off the list, devoid of all sympathy.

The coach groaned slightly. "Nose not broken, I hope?"

The medic gave it one more twist and Kendall screamed, bursting into a fresh round of tears. "Nope," he announced, "but I'll tape it up anyhow."

He taped the nose and slapped an ice-pack on the side of his face before rising. "You done good, kid!"

"See, Kendall? No stitches!" Logan cheered. Kendall smiled around the ice-pack at his new friend, and gave him a thumb's up.

When her wounded son had finally stopped sobbing and was able to sit up without his nose oozing blood, Mrs. Knight smiled at him warmly. Her heart was swelling with love and devotion to her little trooper, and she was going to say whatever it took to ease this traumatic experience from his memory...

"You won't ever have to play hockey again!" she said. Misinterpreting the emotion behind his suddenly wide green eyes, she continued. "I'm going to pull you out today, and you can find a new sport!"

"_WHAAAAAAAAA!"_ he wailed, sending her reeling back, and earning her disapproving glares from everyone within hearing distance.

"Wh-What did I say wrong, Sweetie?" she asked in exasperation. He only wailed louder.

"D-Don't make me quit Mommy!_ Pleeeease!_" he blubbered, sounding as if his little heart was breaking.

"Well..." she paused to look around at all the disapproving faces surrounding them, "you don't _have_ to honey. I just assumed that you'd want to quit since you got hurt so badly, and want to try something._..else."_ She punctuated her point with an awkward shrug.

The four little faces of her son and his cohorts, were looking up at her as if she had just suggested that he shirk his hockey uniform for a pink tu-tu, join ballet class, and dance in _Swan Lake_.

She swallowed and smiled sheepishly. When did it get so quiet in here? "...or not," she added.

They all whooped. Even her son with his swollen cheekbone that was beginning to seal his eye shut, and his over-sized lip, yelled, **"YAY! Thanks Mommy!"**

A bit confused, she kissed her son's forehead and smiled. She might be crazy to allow him to continue playing hockey, but somehow she knew that if he was truly going to be a happy child, there was a place for it in his life. Besides, she was just happy to have a significant place of her own in her little boy's circle of love, she thought as she watched the little boys celebrate.

xxx

It turned out to be the only major incident for the rest of the pee-wee hockey season, and Kendall had become a very good player. He had made a name for himself with the spectators, as a future rising hockey star. He had eluded several close-call injuries...until the final game, within the last few minutes...

"_WHAAAAAAAA!" _She knew that cry anywhere.

**Thanks for reading!**

**Crumpet**


	9. James Learns A Lesson

**Disclaimer: I do not own Big Time Rush.**

**A/N: Hi! I just want to slip one more shortie in before classes get too hectic. This one is focused on James, but all the little guys are in it. :)**

**Thank you reviewers! Winterschild11, Sassyascanbe14, 412, Jewel Princess 1992, Misslittlemaslow and anonymous. I love you all!**

**9. James Learns A Lesson**

"James!" Kendall called excitedly, bolting to his porch. "My mommy's in the car, and she says we get to play together today!" He threw his arms around the other boy's waist and squeezed him tight. James gasped and his eyes bulged.

"Geez, Kendall! You're getting s'htrong! You're like Captain America or somethin!" James declared.

"I'd rather be Biderman!" Kendall announced.

"You mean S'thpiderman?"

"Yeah, S-SP-Spiderman!"

Mrs. Knight had finally reached the porch, moving slower than usual with her pregnant belly, and she ruffled her son's blond bangs. "You're just like Spiderman sometimes, sweetie! Where's your mama, James?"

James didn't give her any eye contact as he took a leaf and held it out to a small green bug, crawling along the porch rail. "Oh, her and Daddy are talking, and they said I had to wait out here." He shrugged to show that it didn't bother him.

Kendall instinctively moved a little closer to his friend and leaned in. He tried not to look too closely at the bug. He wasn't sure if he liked bugs very much. "You're not in trouble, are you?" he whispered.

"I don't think so," James whispered back.

It was James' turn to have his hair ruffled by Mrs. Knight. It saddened her to think that James had no idea why he'd been banished to the porch. She decided to ring the bell before entering this time. Mrs. Diamond came to the screen-door looking a bit distracted and looked out.

"Oh, hi Jennifer!" she said. "Come on in. The boys can just play outside for a bit."

"Okay. Kendall, don't leave the porch. Don't go anywhere near the street, and don't-" Mrs. Knight began.

"They won't be out here long, Jennifer. I have security cameras on them, anyway. We can keep an eye on them from the inside," she assured her.

Kendall's eyes got big and he looked around, searching for what he deemed to be 'the spy cameras'. The two women disappeared behind the door.

"What do you want to do?" Kendall asked excitedly. James bit his lip and shrugged again. Kendall's eyebrows knitted into a perplexed 'v'. "How come you're in a bad mood now, James?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm not in a bad mood," he said, "I'm jus' sad when my mommy and daddy fight."

"They fight?" Kendall asked in surprise. James' face turned a deep pink. He bit his lip again and his eyes glistened threateningly.

"Mine do too!" Kendall said, before the tears could even trickle down. James blinked them back immediately. He looked even more surprised than his blond friend had.

"Your mommy and daddy fight too? But, she's gonna' haf' a baby!" he cried.

Kendall looked down at his sneakers. His small face crumbled. "I know. She's sad a lot, because he doesn't always come home to be with her."

James looked confused. His own dad was _always _there working from home, and his mom was constantly complaining that he needed to find something to do, other than argue with her. They fought over decorating, friends, movies...even food. Worst of all, they fought over James, and it scared him.

"My daddy is _always_ home, and I get scared of him," James confessed.

Kendall put a small arm around him and hugged him close. "I get scared of my daddy too, 'cause he does come home sometimes and yell. I got smacked once 'cause I ran to mommy and told her I'd po'tect her," he said proudly.

"He smacked you?" James asked, with round hazel eyes.

"Yep! But mommy said I was her Bi-Spiderman!" he corrected carefully. "When he left, she made me chocolate-chip cookies and let me stay up and watch movies with her."

"Is that why you had that black eye one time, and it didn't happen in hockey?" James asked.

Kendall nodded. James put his own little arms around his friend and held him tight too. "My daddy punished me too, for spying on them when they were fighting over me. He put cameras up later and told me he knew where I was _all_ the time, and he would spank me if he caught me again."

Kendall gasped. "Daddies are mean," he said, his dimples deepening when he pouted. "I'm gonna' be a nice daddy when I gwo' up."

"Me too," James agreed. "Hey, you wanna play s'threet hockey?"

"I thought our mommies said to stay on the porch," Kendall reminded him.

"Yeah, but I wanna' see Carlos and Logan. I wanna' play hockey with them, don't you?" James asked. Since they only lived right down the street from him, he had them over whenever he could.

"Yes," Kendall admitted, "but I don't wanna' make my mommy mad."

"Okay. You stay here and _I'll _go get them," James said.

Kendall was worried for James, but he seemed determined to go. He just nodded and sat down on the porch swing to wait. "Wait! S'thand right over there till I get back. It blocks the camera," James stage-whispered.

Kendall got off the swing and stood nervously in front of the camera. He hoped that he wasn't going to regret it. "Hurry!" he pleaded. James nodded and ran off down the sidewalk.

It wasn't long before James was back with the other two five-year olds in tow. They smiled happily and raced to the porch to greet Kendall. Relieved, Kendall moved away from the camera and slapped palms with them.

"I can play for a whole hour and I have my skates!" Carlos cheered, the straps of his helmet swinging as he bounced. "Then I have to go home for lunch. We're having corn dogs and corn on the cob! I love things on sticks, so mama's going to put the corn-on-the-cob, on sticks too!"

"You're goofy!" Logan teased, punching him playfully in the arm. It was one of the few times that he could play-punch _anyone_, and get away with it. "I can stay for an hour and a half!" he added happily. "And, I brought gear too!"

"Okay! Let's play!" James said. He ran to the garage and got out the hockey sticks and puck. He brought out street-skates for him and Kendall to wear, and a box of gear.

They set up the caution cones at the end of the cul-de-sac like they'd been shown, and created a safe-zone away from cars and pets. James popped open the goalie nets. They all donned the skates and gear. "Let's play!" James said.

They tried to simulate the moves that they had been shown in pee-wee hockey, and the puck was quickly put in motion. It was two against two to start, James and Logan and Kendall. They had only been playing for about five minutes, when Mrs. Knight had realized that their sons were no longer in the frame, on the kitchen monitor.

"Oh no!" she cried in a panic, struggling to get up from her chair with her protruding belly. "Brooke, our boys are gone!"

"I'm sure they're fine!" she said, running to the front door. She opened it, just in time to see her son get clubbed in the face with a hockey stick, when an overly rambunctious little Carlos came rambling up to the net and swung his arms wildly. The puck did make its mark, but the other end of the stick met with James' wee handsome face.

James shrieked in pain and collapsed to the pavement, clutching his throbbing face. Mrs. Diamond knelt beside her boy, and Mrs. Knight wasn't far behind.

"I didn't mean to do it!" Carlos sobbed.

"We know that, Carlos." Kendall soothed his distraught friend.

"James!" both women cried. His mother attempted to pull away his hands. He was crying but he wouldn't let her see.

Logan knelt too, remembering how he had been able to calm Kendall down when he had been hurt during a pee-wee hockey accident. "James?" he asked softly.

"Yes?" James garbled beneath the hands.

"Can we just see?" he asked, trying to be heard over the theatrical crying of Mrs. Diamond.

"No," he replied, his voice muffled under his hands.

"James!" his mother wailed. "Are your teeth okay? Are you bleeding? Is your nose broken? _Is your_ _face ruined?"_

Mrs. Knight's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe that she was asking that at a moment like this. No wonder he was afraid for anyone to see.

"No, Mom!" James murmured.

"James sweetie, she said, taking over the situation. "I'm sure you'll heal fine. Just let us take a look."

"I want Logan to see, firs'th," he mumbled.

Logan peeked under the hands to scrutinize the damage. "It's okay, James," he said softly, "you just have a typ'cal boo-boo. It's not even bleeding. You can just put ice on that."

Carlos leaned over his fallen friend, with guilt-ridden look twisting his small features. "I'm so sorry, James. I'll go get you an ice pack."

One heavily-fringed amber orb, peered over the palm, to gauge Logan's reaction before responding. Logan's dark eyes were calmly staring back, not at all like his mother's, who had now draped herself across her son during the dramatics. He cautiously removed his hands and eyed his mother.

"Am I ugly, now?" James asked, with tears streaming from the corners of his lashes.

"Never!" Logan said eagerly. "You'll always be perfect James, and you're going to be the coolest boy on Monday, when all the kids see your face!"

James almost smiled. "Then, they won't laugh at my face?" he asked.

"No way!" Kendall piped in. "I got lots of attention when I got hurt! And that blonde girl Sandy, thought that I was cute with a black eye!" he added.

Mrs. Diamond finally turned to survey her son. She couldn't bear to think of him as ugly. He was absolutely perfect, and she questioned how she had been talked into the sport of hockey, and not dance, in the first place. She blamed her husband, she decided bitterly.

Mr. Diamond finally came out to the street with Carlos and the ice-pack, and stared down at his boy. "Sit up. You're not a sissy!" he ordered. James seemed frightened and immediately obeyed.

Shocked, everyone turned to stare at the handsome man with his arms folded across his chest. The collaborative stare-down was making him feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Brooke thinks that he should worry more about looks and fashion, than about becoming a man," he explained sheepishly, seeing the expressions grow icier by the moment.

"Well, I think he has a while before he has to worry about becoming a man," Mrs. Knight said, giving her opinion without hesitation. Mr. Diamond threw her a sour look.

"Look, I just want the kid to succeed in life!" They just stared. "You women are all the same," he said with a glower.

"Yes, we are," said Brooke, standing tall to face her husband. "We love our children, and don't feel that our little boys have to be overly macho," she sniffled. "I admit that I shouldn't put so much focus on appearances, and I'm working on that, I swear...but I don't want James to hide from fear and pain. It will wind up making him a jerk like you!"

Now everyone was uncomfortable, including the little ones. "I think that I should take the boys home now," offered Mrs. Knight, supportively rubbing her friend's tense back.

"Thank you, Jennifer," she said, "that's probably best."

"Get up, James," his father grumbled. "It's time for lunch anyway." He walked back to the house alone.

"See, James," Carlos said optimistically, "your dad isn't so mad this time." He put his arm around him.

The boys helped round-up the gear to put back in the garage, and headed for Mrs. Knight's car.

"Bye, James!" they all called. He looked pitiful holding the ice-pack to the large purple egg on his jaw, but he smiled and waved anyway.

As soon as the boys were all strapped into their seats, Mrs. Knight addressed her son. "We have to talk, Kendall!" she said, before even pulling away.

"What, mom?" he asked, fidgeting in his seat.

"You were told to stay on the porch, but you disobeyed," she said sternly.

"But mom, even James didn't get in trouble when his dad came out. Why am I?" he asked with a pout.

Carlos and Logan looked nervous. "Are we in trouble, too?" Logan asked, swallowing hard.

"You might be, young man. We'll just have to see what your mom has to say." She sighed.

"But, she's not home today," Logan almost whispered.

"Then you'll just have to come home with me for now. How about you, Carlos? Is your mom home?" He nodded sadly.

"Yeah, I'm supposed to have corn dogs for lunch," he said. "I probably won't get any now." He thrust out his lower lip.

"Well, you boys should have known that before you played in the street. You knew that you had to be supervised, or at least ask for permission first."

"It looks like James is luckier than us," Kendall groaned.

Meanwhile, James was led back into the house by a very unhappy mom. "James!" she scolded, "this isn't over! You went into the street to play when you were told to stay put! See what happened? I hope you learned your lesson! You are in so much trouble, young man!" She took a hold of his shirt and dragged him through the door.

"Dad!" James called fearfully, as he broke free and raced inside. He could only hope that his dad was still mad at his mom, and would save him this time.

Mrs. Diamond shook her head in amazement. "Well, I'll be darned," she said aloud. He has already learned to use my system against me, and play us against one another to get what he wants. Not the lesson she was expecting him to master at such a young age. And his dad thinks he's not strong enough to be successful in life, she thought to herself with satisfaction.

**Next up is Logan! ^.^ **

**Thanks for reading,**

**Crumpet**


	10. Birthday Blues

**A/N: I had technical difficulties with the first version that was already to post this morning, so it may not be exact to the other one. The whole computer went down with my documents, so now I am typing on my laptop. ):**

**10. Birthday Blues**

Logan always loved his birthday. He always believed that since it was a new year, he had to have grown at least a little bit. He also liked that it fell in late summer, and he could play outside with his friends and cousins because it was still warm out.

This year was different though. Logan seemed distracted, and not at all as excited as usual. He was turning six, and it wasn't just his birthday this time, it was his first year of grammar school. He knew how to calculate that he started school in thirty-six hours, three-hundred minutes, and sixty-two seconds, so he knew that he was smart enough, but he wasn't sure how he was going to be away from his mum so much.

He was going to a strange place, with unfamiliar faces, and lots of rooms he'd never been in before. Sure, he would see Kendall, James and Carlos, but they couldn't be with him every moment, and he might need them. He didn't tell his mum that he was scared, he just grew quiet.

"What's wrong, baby? Aren't you excited about your birthday this year?" she asked.

"Yes, mama," he said quietly.

"Then, why so glum, chum?" She brushed the silky dark bangs back, to see his chocolate brown eyes better.

"I'm not glum, mama," he reassured her.

"No? Then, do you want vanilla ice cream again this year...RAWR! or CHOCOLATE! RAWR!" she roared and tickled his sides.

Logan couldn't help but giggle when she did the dinosaur roar. He wanted to tell her the truth at that moment, but he really couldn't even talk about it. It made his tummy get butterflies, and his heart beat faster. "Chocolate," he said, decisively, but without enthusiasm.

"You got it, partner."

xxx

Before he knew it, and definitely before he was ready, it was the evening before the first school day. He watched his mum from where he sat cross-legged on the foot of his twin-sized bed, chin resting in his hands and deep in thought. She pulled two outfits from the hang-bar, tags still dangling from the cuffs, and draped them across the bed.

"Which one would you like to wear, first," she asked.

He glanced at the choices and wrinkled his button-nose in distaste. "I don't like either one."

"What? Why not? You liked them when we went shopping for school a few weeks ago," she said, confused.

He had, but that was before he associated the garments with starting school and all of the apprehension that went along with it. "The vest, shirt, and cords are really nice," she said, disrupting his worrisome thoughts.

"No," he said defiantly. She studied him curiously. His little face was unreadable.

"Okay, then the polo and jeans will work," she tried.

He shook his head adamantly, and she thought that she may have caught a pout before he pulled his mouth back to its usual adorable state and sighed.

She sat down next to her young son and wrapped her arms around his wee shoulders. "Would you like to talk about what your first day of school might be like?"

He bit his lower lip, avoided eye-contact, and played with the gold bracelet on her wrist. She kissed the top of his head and pulled him in her lap. He threw his arms around her neck and soaked in her warmth.

"Are you scared, baby?" He tensed, but didn't answer. She pulled back a bit to search her son's expressive dark eyes for answers. He still wouldn't look at her, so she tugged his dimpled chin toward her and held it gently.

"I was afraid my first day, too," she said softly. He looked up, surprised.

"You were?"

"Sure. It was a strange new place, with different faces, and a bunch of rooms that I'd never even seen before. I thought that I was going to be sick at first."

"_Were_ you!," he asked in a concerned voice.

"No, but I did put up a pretty good fight about not letting go of my daddy's hand, so that I could go meet my new teacher. I finally did, and boy was she ever nice."

Logan swallowed hard. "But...but what if I can't?" he asked in a tiny high voice.

"Can't what, baby?"

"Can't...let go of your hand," he whispered.

She smiled and held his small hands in hers. "Then you won't," she said simply. "But, I think that you are going to forget all about me once you're there, and you see all of your friends... and the books..."

He caught the wistful tone in her voice, and it was his turn to search his mum's eyes for answers. "Are you sad, mama?' he asked, worry in his brown eyes.

She smiled warmly and hugged him tightly to her chest. "Oh, I'm just selfish, and want to keep you all to myself so I can watch you grow every minute, of every day."

He smiled back. "I love you too, mama!" he said happily. "I promise that I'll think of you all the time, when I'm there," he said innocently.

"And, I'll be thinking of you, Logie-Bear. Now, which outfit do you choose?"

"The vest," he said decisively.

xxx

That evening, he was restless again, knowing than we he opened his eyes in the morning, he would be getting ready for school. After his mum and dad tucked him in bed for the evening, kissed him on the cheek, and bid him goodnight, they turned to leave.

"Wait!" he called suddenly. "Can I have the nightlight on tonight?" He knew that his parents weren't thrilled with the light being on while he slept. They believed that he didn't rest well, and that it could affect his vision. But there were always exceptions, like when he was sad or scared. Now, he was both.

"Is something bothering you, sport?" his dad asked. Logan shrugged and pulled his lower lip firmly between his teeth. His dad ruffled his hair. "Okay,Will do," he said, switching the Batman symbol nightlight on. The yellow moon glowed cozily behind the black bat, and Logan's weary eyes immediately began to droop.

They watched for a moment from the doorway, until the long dark lashes fanned across his cheeks, casting shadows upon them. They smiled at one another and closed the door over.

An hour later, a shrill cry jolted both of them from a sound sleep. Mrs. Mitchell slid quickly into her bedside slippers, and raced to her son's room. Logan sat upright in his bed, looking disoriented and frightened, his cheeks shining with tears.

"What is it, baby?" she asked, scooping him up in her arms and rubbing his trembling back.

"I-I couldn't f-find you," he sobbed, clinging to her.

"I'm right here Logie-Bear," she soothed. He rambled incoherently, explaining further the horrors he's experienced in the dream, hiccupping between sobs.

"Shhhh. It's okay. I'm not going anywhere."

"He choked back a sob and calmed a bit. "I want to stay here with you, mama!" he cried.

She sat on the bed with him, still wrapped in her arms, and gently rocked. Mr. Mitchell stood helplessly in the doorway watching them. She motioned for him to join them and he came to sit beside them, placing a large comforting hand on the tiny heaving back.

"I'll tell you what," she said, rubbing his leg,"let's go to school together tomorrow, and if we don't like it, we'll just tell them that we aren't ready for school yet."

Mr. Mitchell stared at his wife as if she were crazy. Tell the school to wait? She winked at him, and he finally had an 'a-ha' moment of understanding, and winked back.

"_Really?" _Logan asked, obviously relieved.

"Really," she said.

xxx

He slept peacefully throughout the remainder of the evening and awoke refreshed the following morning. He was still quiet, but he let his mum lead him down to a breakfast of cereal, toast and juice. He even cooperated when she combed the silky dark tresses neatly to the side, and handed him his toothbrush. Dressed in the vest, button-down shirt and cords, he took her hand and walked outside.

He took a deep breath and held her hand tighter. "We're going to walk to school since it isn't that far, okay?" she asked. Logan nodded and gripped the hand around his clammy little one, tighter still. She refrained from letting on how much it hurt, and smiled down at her handsome little boy. "Okay then," she said, instead.

They walked down the block, and she waved to the other mothers walking their own children. When they finally neared their destination, Logan slowed his pace. His little heart was thumping in his chest and his belly was doing that crazy thing, where he felt like he was riding an elevator that was plummeting down.

"Okay, baby?" she asked softly, eying her apprehensive son for signs of a pending panic-attack. He pulled the plump lower-lip between his teeth and bit down hard. He nodded, but not too convincingly.

At the doors, he began to swoon. She knelt to her son's level and steadied his slim hips with her hands. "So, do we want to do this?" she asked.

He thought for a moment, and glanced around nervously, his soft clammy, little hand still in hers.

"Hi, Logaaan!" Carlos shouted, rambling over to his friend, stumbling over a low hedge and landing at his feet with a thud. Logan giggled, despite his fears, and Mrs. Garcia rolled her eyes in amusement.

Carlos bounced back to his feet and adjusted the crooked helmet on his head. "The wrecking crew has arrived!" his mum announced.

Mrs. Mitchell stifled a giggle of her own, and smiled at the rambunctious boy, grateful for the distraction. Carlos lunged for his friend and squeezed him tightly, lifting his small body high in the air with the hug. Logan coughed but laughed.

"Carlos!" Mrs. Garcia scolded, "put him down this instant, before you hurt him!"

"Naw, the boys are tough," Mrs. Mitchell said.

Carlos took Logan's hand and pulled him along toward the entrance. "Come on! Let's go check out our new classroom!" They disappeared through the doors, and the mothers smiled at one another. They spotted Kendall and his mum arriving at the end of the walkway. Kendall was clearly searching the area for his friends as they approached.

"The boys are already inside," Mrs. Mitchell said proudly.

Mrs. Knight's eyebrow rose in surprise, when she realized that Logan had gone in without her. She had sensed his apprehension the day before when the boys played together at the park. "Do you want to go find them, sweetie?" she asked her son.

"'Kay," Kendall said, "but, where's James?"

"We'll let him know that you're waiting for him," Mrs. Knight reassured him. "Okay, sweetie?" she added when her own son seemed to hesitate as well. His small face paled a bit, but he skipped off to find Carlos and Logan.

"I am so relieved that the boys are brave enough to go inside without us," she said, her own eyes glistening with emotion. The other women put their arms around her, understanding how she felt.

Their babies were growing up so fast and it made them ache with love, as they suppressed the urge to cry. Mrs. Diamond however, had no trouble expressing herself. She could be heard from the end of the walkway, her theatrical wailing echoing throughout the schoolyard.

"Jaa-ames!" she cried, smoothing his already perfectly-groomed cap of shiny hair. "I'm going to miss my baby boy soooo much!"

"Mom! Let go!" James pleaded, when she refused to unhand him.

Mrs. Mitchell believed it to be the perfect moment to wave them over. "James, honey!" she called out, "the boys are all inside waiting for you!"

"Can I go, mommy?" he asked with big hazel orbs. Mrs. Diamond placed the hand that was restraining her son, over her heart, and with black mascara running down her cheeks, she said, "Go ahead, Jamie."

She sniffled. "Just go...and I'll be waiting for you out here."

"He's not going off to war," Mrs. Mitchell said, with a bit of irritation in her tone, worrying that it might be upsetting James. Mrs. Diamond gasped, but released her son. He seized the opportunity to flee, and raced for the door.

"Bye, mommy!" he yelled over his shoulder, only pausing to smile at the pretty blonde girl who held the door for him.

The women all moved in for a group hug, and only pulled away to go check on their young sons inside. They peered through the glass panel of the classroom and smiled at what they found. The boys were huddled over a toy truck, jabbering excitedly. The teacher noticed them and waved them in. They entered and noticed that there were other parents seated at the back of the room.

"Would you like to stay a while and observe your sons?" the pretty young brunette asked. "I'm Miss Florios, by the way, and I'm pleased to meet you."

They exchanged names, and made there way to the other parents. They had not gone far before the boys spotted them. James tried to hide behind Kendall, and rolled his eyes in his mum's direction. Kendall gave his mum a thumb's up and grinned. Carlos bounced up and down and shouted, "Hi, mommy!" Logan just stared.

"What's wrong. Logie?" Kendall asked his frozen-stiff friend.

"Uh-oh," Mrs. Mitchell murmured, "maybe I should have just waited outside." She feared that her boy was about to have new doubts about separation, and would change his mind about staying.

"Nuthin'" he said.

"Wow! Look!" Carlos squealed.

They saw that the boys had found new fascination in a huge table full of legos. "Let's just slip off when we can, Joanna," Mrs. Knight whispered. She nodded.

They weren't even a few feet down the hallway, when a squeaky "Moooooooom!" halted them in their tracks.

Mrs. Florios poked her head through the door to find them. "Oops, I'm so sorry," Mrs. Mitchell said apologetically, fearing that her son had surely frightened the daylights out of the other children.

"No problem," the teacher reassured her, "it happens every year." She smiled. "I'll bring him right out."

She reappeared, guiding the small brunet boy by the shoulders to stand before his mum. He looked up at her with dark round eyes, and hugged her legs.

"What's wrong, Logan?" she asked gently. "I'm just right outside the door if you need me."

"Oh, I don't _need _you, mama."

She looked puzzled. "Then why did you call for me, baby?" she asked.

"Because, you said to let you know what kind of party I want for my birfday as soon as I decide, and I decided!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, really? What kind?" she asked, trying not to let him see how amusing she found that to be at the moment.

"I want a school party! With chalkboards and books! And legos and trucks, and Kendall and James, and Carlos and my new teacher!"

"Wow! That's great, baby! But, why didn't you just wait to tell me after school?" she asked in exasperation.

"Because I wanted to thank you for bringing me here, and to tell you how much I love you!" he squeaked happily, with what would come to be known as his signature crooked grin, every dimple making an appearance.

**Happy Birthday Logan!**

**Crumpet**


	11. Superheroes Unite

**Someone requested holidays a while back, and I did not forget you! This is part one of the Halloween one-shot. =^.^=**

**11. Superheros Unite (Halloween Part I)**

"Have you decided what you want to be for Halloween, baby?" Mrs. Garcia asked.

Carlos did a random somersault, ending with a thunk to the great room wall, decorating it with a perfect replica of his tennis shoe sole.

"OOPS," he said sheepishly. She shook her head good-natured, and reached for the trusty rag that she always kept nearby when her young son was around. "I wanna' be a superhero, mommy!"

Pretending to be surprised, she made an 'O' with her lips. "A superhero! With a cape and everything?"

"Uh-huh!" he shouted leaping high into the air, disappearing over the back of the sofa, and resulting in a loud thump. "I'm okay, mommy."

"Thank goodness," she said, peeking over the top,"or you wouldn't be able to go pick out a pumpkin with me today."

"Oh boy!" he shouted, popping up instantly. "And, when can we go shopping for my costume?"

"I'll have to call the other moms and see when we can all get together, but it won't be long, Carlitos. Halloween isn't that far away."

xxx

"Mother, I don't want to be a swatchbucker! I want to be a superhero like Kendall, Carlos and Logan!"

"Swashbuckler, honey," Mrs. Diamond corrected, "and what little boy doesn't want to be a pirate?"

"A swatchbucker is a pirate?" James asked with a look of surprise on his little face.

"Mmm-hmm."

"Well, I still don't wanna' be it! I want a cape, and muscles, and be able to save people!"

"A swashbuckler can have muscles and save people...or at least scare some people away."

James pulled out a full-blown pout. "What' bout a cape?" he asked, studying her reaction intently.

Mrs. Diamond thought about the question for a moment. "Maybe...not, but Jamie, I went through so much trouble to find the perfect costume. Especially the perfect costume in your size. It's not some cheap imitation, it's-"

"Ahhhhhhh!" he screeched when he saw her hold up the purple velvet jacket, ruffled white blouse, and black knickers.

"What is it Jamie?!" she asked, startled by his cry.

"I can't wear _that_!"

"Why not?" she asked, dropping the costume on the counter to dig in the bag. She pulled out a black hat with a large plume. "Look!" she said grinning.

"Noooo!" His handsome little face fell even further.

"But I have the white knee socks, the black buckle shoes, and even the golden earring!" She dangled the giant hoop before his eyes. He finally burst into tears after watching her pull each item from the bag.

"What about the sword?" she reasoned, showing him the very realistic blade. And sheath. He had to admit to himself that it was the best piece of the costume, but he continued to wail.

"I wanna' be Captain America!" he insisted his watery hazel eyes shimmering with hope, and his lower lip quivering with emotion.

She sighed long and hard. "Oh Jamie, why do you have to be such a difficult child? You're perfect in every other way."

He kept his small arms folded across his narrow chest, a firm tilt of his chin, glaring at the flamboyancy of the chosen costume.

"All right," she conceded, pouting herself. "We'll go with the other boys to pick out something that you like."

"Oh boy!" he cheered, lunging at her and throwing his arms around her hips. "Thanks mother!"he cried, as ran off to celebrate with his action figures.

"But, I'm not going to like it!" she added, calling after him and stomping a high-heeled boot in frustration.

xxx

Kendall was happily bouncing a basketball in the driveway, tossing it into the hoop now and then. "Wow sweetie, you're pretty good at that!" Mrs. Knight said.

"Yeah, but I still like hockey better," he said with an arch of an eyebrow.

"I figured that might be the case," she said with a grin, remembering the way he responded when she offered to pull him out of it after an injury. "You're a hockey player through and through."

"Yep," he said.

"What I wanted to ask you, is what you want to dress up as, for Halloween."

"Spiderman!" he shouted without hesitation.

She tried not to roll her eyes. She succeeded in convincing him to be other things for the earlier years, because she wanted to see his adorable face. The mask would hide it completely in photos.

"Okay," she said, "this year you can be Spiderman."

"Yay!" he shouted, fist-punching the air.

Mr. Habner, the elderly neighbor next door, snapped his blind closed with an exasperated sigh. Kendall and his mom both laughed.

"I'm going to his house first, and I'm going to catch him with my webs!" he said happily.

Mrs. Knight raised a finger to her lips to shush him, but giggled in spite of herself. "I'll go phone the other moms and see when we can get together to go costume shopping. How's that sound?"

He nodded and bounced up and down, before dribbling erratically yet still managing to make a perfect shot.

xxx

Logan was playing with his batman figure, waiting for his mom to come and read the stack of books he picked out. He could already read, but he wanted the closeness of having her pull him to her chest with her arms around his waist, while they read together.

She came in smiling when she heard him talking with the superhero dolls. "I see you chose a few Halloween books today."

"Yep. I found one with this man, who could fly on Halloween night, because he gets magic powers until midnight. He flies around and potects the trick-er-treaters!" he exclaimed.

"Really? From what?" she asked.

"Ghosts and goblins!" he said, his eyes wide.

"Oh. Well, you know that there aren't really such things, right?"

He eyed her skeptically. "Sure," he said in a tiny uncertain voice. "But, there are mean bullies who want to steal kids' candy!"

"Not with us moms around, they won't!" she said indignantly.

He giggled. "You guys are kind of like superheros too, then! 'Cuz you potect us!"

She flexed her arm muscles and he giggled harder. "I bet I know what you want to be this year," she said.

He shook his head. It was a game they played every year. "Guess," he said.

"A tree," she said.

"Nope!"

"A puppy!"

"Nope!"

"A big orange fish!"

"No silly!" he said laughing.

"A delicious iced doughnut, with colored sprinkles!" she said pretending to eat him.

"No! You're never going to guess, mama!" he cried.

"Okay, you win. What are you going to be this year?"

"Batman!"

"Really? I would have guessed an airplane or a clown."

"James is afraid of clowns mama, remember?" he said, suddenly serious.

She clapped her hand over her mouth. "That's right, Logie-Bear, I forgot. Never be a clown then!"

"I won't! Ever, ever, ever!" he promised, and he really meant it.

xxx

It was a beautiful sunny autumn afternoon, when the moms met to pick up their boys from kindergarten, and head over to the Halloween Warehouse. The boys came racing from the school, excited to be on their way, and one step closer to being the superhero of their dreams.

"I think we can all squeeze in two vehicles," Mrs. Knight suggested. They decided to pair off, Carlos and Logan and Kendall and James.

"Who are you going to be?" Carlos asked excitedly, before the door could even close.

"Batman!" Logan exclaimed.

"I'm gonna' be the Hulk!" Carlos said.

Meanwhile in the other van, driven by Mrs. Knight, Kendall and James were sharing their costumes. They pulled up to the biggest Halloween wonderland that any of the boys had ever seen.

"Wow!" Kendall said in awe. "They must have the bestest Spiderman costume ever!"

"Hey, you can say Spiderman now," James observed. Kendall nodded.

"Sure, I'm big now."

They tumbled from the van as soon as Mrs. Knight slid open the door.

"When are Carlos and Logan gonna' get here?" James asked, barely able to restrain himself from bolting to the entrance.

"Patience," Mrs. Diamond warned her son.

The second vehicle arrived, and Carlos sprung from the back seat holding Logan's hand and pulling him faster than his little legs could keep up.

"Carlos!" Mrs. Garcia warned, but it was too late. Logan plummeted to the concrete, skinning both knees through his jeans.

Mrs. Mitchell helped her son up, noticing the tears in his eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Mrs. Garcia gave Carlos a warning stare. "How many times have I told you not to yank your friends around?" Carlos hung his head.

"I'm sorry Logan," he said sadly.

"I know, it's okay," Logan said biting his lip. He didn't want his friend to know how much his knees were stinging, and there was no way he was going to break down and cry when they had costumes to get.

"When we get home, I'll put Bactine on those," Mrs. Mitchell promised, seeing that they weren't that bad. Logan nodded. For now, he was going to have to endure the stiff, tingling sensation when he walked.

He wrapped a small arm around his pouting friend and forced a smile. "Let's just think about Batman and the Hulk!" Relieved Carlos threw both arms around Logan and hugged him hard, making Logan wheeze. His mom sighed and shook her head at Mrs. Mitchell.

"My son tends to be a bit rambunctious," she said.

"Boys will be boys," Mrs. Knight said with a laugh, watching her own blond boy race over and tackle the other two, practically knocking them to the ground.

James opened the door for everyone and stopped, staring in amazement. "Hey, what's the hold up?" Kendall called impatiently. Slowly James entered and spun around in circles.

All four boys gasped at the sight. The place was huge, and there were costumes from wall to wall. Decorations and creepy figures peeked out from black fabric draped everywhere. The four little boys held hands.

The high ceiling was lit in an eerie amber lighting and spiders dangled from its rafters. Kendall swallowed. "Mom, those aren't real, right?" he asked in a small shaky voice.

"No sweetie, they aren't real," she reassured him. He held the hands of James and Logan just a bit tighter in case some of them actually were real, and no one could tell the difference.

"Cool!" Carlos exclaimed, when he saw a big orange pumpkin suddenly light up.

He released Logan's hand and walked up to it to get a better look. When he approached, the sensor changed the glowing pumpkin into a menacing jack-o-lantern face that released a high-pitched cackle.

Carlos screamed, startling the other three boys, and reducing them to tears. A clerk tried his best not to laugh.

"It's okay boys," he said, "it's just a decoration." He looked at the mothers who stood staring in shock.

Finally Mrs. Diamond came to comfort her son. "Jamie, don't cry," she said patting him on the back. "Where are your little boy's costumes?" she asked the clerk.

The young man pointed to the back wall. "Wow, what a trek," Mrs. Mitchell noted, "and through all this gory stuff."

"Yeah, you boys stay together. It's dark over there and we don't want you getting lost or separated," Mrs. Knight said.

Kendall shook his head adamantly. "We don't wanna' get lost 'sperated either mom."

They inched along, and took in as much of their surroundings as they could. The severed limbs and faux cadavers were a bit much for the young lads after the surprise pumpkin, but they put on their bravest faces and traveled on.

When they reached a more kid-friendly section of the store, the boys relaxed. They ran around within the area, pointing out costume pieces to one another.

"Here's the Captain America suits, Jamie," Mrs. Diamond called.

"Sweet!" James cried happily, letting his mother check the sizes.

James ran over to his mom. She held costumes up to his chest, when she paused to ramble on to the other women about the _other_ costume she had chosen earlier. Distracted, none of them noticed that the boys had run off.

Kendall was determined to find the Spiderman section. He flitted through a set of gauzy curtains and the other little boys followed. Logan's eyes honed in on a doctor costume, but his eyes bulged when he saw something inappropriate about it. Parts that weren't supposed to be seen at all, were printed on the _outside _of the coat. He blinked and screwed his eyes shut tightly. The image was still there. He let James lead him through the rest of the way.

Kendall noticed a rack of Spiderman related items, and pulled the first costume he found down from the bar. "I'm going go show my mom!" he announced.

The little boys followed him back through the maze of black fabric single-file, until they saw their mother's ankles, and popped through the opening, Logan made sure to keep his eyes closed and walk blindly past the inappropriate costumes, until the end where he opened them to a pair of giant inflatable boobs. He squeaked.

"There you are sweetie, I found the Spiderman costumes," Mrs. Knight said. Kendall looked down at the one that he held, as opposed to the one that she held. His definitely looked more realistic.

"But, I already found one, mom!" he said. "Look it has muscles and a built-in web shooter!" he squeezed the trigger and a sticky white goo came shooting out from the crotch of the suit, coating his mom as well as Mrs. Mitchell in silly string.

"Oh my!" Mrs. Knight exclaimed, blushing profusely at a man who stared while passing by. "That is not exactly where the webs should come from, though," she tried to explain to her disappointed boy. "Look, this one has web-shooters on the wrists, where they're supposed to be!"

She furiously swabbed at the white strands coating her auburn hair as well as 's darker locks, to remove all evidence of the x-rated costume.

"I believe the boys may have been in the ADULT costume section," Mrs. Mitchell deduced. "Right, Logan?"

Logan shook his head guiltily and shrugged, a shell-shocked look still plastered on his tiny pink face. His mom kissed him on top of the head and laughed. He was still blinking back the images of the 'see-through' doctor's coat and giant inflatable boobs, when James came up to them with his suit in hand.

"Carlos, my mother found the Hulk over there too!" James said. "Carlos?"

They heard a muffled cry. They searched all over with no sign of the little boy. "Hmmmpf!"

"Baby, is that you?" Mrs. Garcia called in a worried tone. It sounded like the little guy was in some sort of fix.

"Hmmmpf hmmmmpf!" came the reply.

"There he is!" shouted Kendall, pointing to a tangled heap of neon webs.

The women tugged at the nylon strands, trying to free the flailing child. "Boy, these webs are strong enough to secure a werewolf!" Mrs. Diamond exclaimed.

"Mama, I thought you said there was no such thing as werewolves!" Logan shrieked, hiding behind his mother,

"There's not angel," Mrs. Mitchell said, rubbing his small shoulders and giving Mrs. Diamond a disapproving glance. It's just a fun expression to use at this time of year. I guess..." she muttered, yanking harder on the indestructible threads.

Mrs. Knight was able to hack away at a small opening, just wide enough for Carlos-sized boy to slip through. He squirmed out like he was hatching from a pod, and stood to grin widely at his captor. James waited patiently to take him to see the Hulk costumes, grinning too.

"Whoah, that was cool!" Carlos shouted, then scampered after the taller boy, practically ricocheting off of the surrounding racks, leaving a trail of costumes in his path. Mrs. Garcia lagged behind, replacing the various items as she went. By the time she got there, Carlos was already half-way into the bulky green muscle suit, looking very much like a miniature green Hercules.

xxx

They waited for the pizzas and drinks to arrive at the table of the Pizza Hut. It had only taken a mere two hours to get them all properly sized and out of the warehouse, but it might as well have been six, for how much excitement they had found during the short shopping trip.

"Are you boys happy?" Mrs. Mitchell asked the weary five-year-olds.

They nodded and grinned. They all got what they wanted this year; to be a band of superheros and go trick-or-treating together for the first time.

Halloween was only a few days away, and the mothers truly had no idea what the first trick-or-treating event with all four boys together, would entail. Boy were they in for a surprise...

TBC

**The second half of the Halloween segment will be ready soon. Our boys are in for a frightful night...**

**O.O**

**Crumpet**


	12. Spooked

**A'N: Thank you winterschild11, Sassyascabe14, BookWorkKendall, misslittlemaslow21, texaskid, lillygirl42001, Jewel Princess 1992, AkireAlev, LazyLazyWriter, KendallsCoverGirl804. Anybody still out there? LOL!**

**I do not own Big Time Rush, big or small.**

**Hey, check out my goofy Halloween one-shot with Jett and Logan, W T UFO (rated T)!**

**12. Spooked (Halloween Part II)**

The moms had everyone gathered at Mrs. Knight's house. They found themselves doing that more and more, with Mrs. Knight about to give birth. That way her overnight bag would be ready to go with her to the hospital. First on the evening's agenda, was trick-or-treating, because they promised the boys they could all go together.

"When will Donald be home?" Mrs. Garcia asked. "Antonio couldn't get out of his shift, because they need the extra eyes to watch out for troublesome teens, as he tactfully put it. He's so sad that he can't take Carlos this year."

"I can imagine. He loves doing that! Don..." Mrs. Knight shrugged, and didn't give her any eye-contact, "could turn up any moment, but there isn't a set time."

Mrs' Garcia tried to hide her surprise. She knew her friend was due to have the baby, literally at any moment. Her eyes followed her to the kitchen cabinet, where she rummaged around for something.

Mr. Knight told his wife he would be back to hand out candy to the neighborhood kids, but since he still wasn't home, she took her largest salad bowl and dumped all the bags of candy in.

"What are you doing, mom?" Kendall asked, watching her curiously with wide green eyes.

"Well, if daddy doesn't come home in time, the kids can take one themselves."

"What if they take all them?!" Carlos asked.

"That would be wrong!" Logan said, his dark brown eyes round at the thought.

"I'm sure they'll do the right thing and be fair," Mrs. Knight said with a grin.

The moms tried not to laugh. James noticed his mother writing on a poster-board and he raced over to see what she was doing. He loved markers and he wanted to help if it meant making fancy pictures.

"What are you making, mother?"

"A sign that says 'take one', so the kids will know it's okay," she explained. Carlos immediately ran over and snatched one from the bowl.

Every one looked at the little boy, who shoved the entire mini snickers bar in his mouth and happily munched. "What? You said we could take one!" he said through a mouthful of candy.

"She meant, other kids!" Logan pointed out.

"Oh," Carlos said guiltily, wiping his chocolate-covered lips on his sleeve.

"That's okay," Mrs. Knight said, "why don't you each have one." They didn't waste any time in running over and grabbing a piece of their own.

"Okay boys, it's about time to get into your costumes, trick-or-treat starts in a half-hour," Mrs. Mitchell announced, giving Logan a little push.

"Oh boy!" Kendall cheered. "I'm finally gonna' be Spiderman!" He grabbed himself between the legs, and pretended to shoot webs from there, at his friends. Logan screamed and ran away to hide behind his mom's legs.

"Kendall Donald Knight! What did I tell you young man? That costume was inappropriate, and your webs will come from your wrists!" she scolded, trying to keep a stern face.

"Sorry, mom," Kendall said sheepishly, looking down at the floor. "I forgot."

The other moms stifled their own laughter, and got busy helping their sons pull out their costume pieces.

James eagerly stepped into his Captain America costume, and proudly adjusted his muscled foam torso. "Someday I'm gonna' have muscles like this, mother!"

"I believe you will, Jamie," his mom said, patting him on the head.

When Carlos put on his Hulk costume, he immediately roared and spun around, accidentally knocking Mrs. Knight's Halloween decorations down. The stiffened cheesecloth ghost, lantern, and stuffed witch, all hit the floor with a clatter.

"Carlos! Not yet! Save it for outside! I'm sorry Jennifer," Mrs. Garcia apologized.

"Don't worry about it," she said with a smile and a shake of her head. "Nothing broke anyway." She leaned over to pick the items up before anyone else had the chance. She let out a slight gasp and everyone turned to stare.

Mrs. Garcia stopped smearing the green face paint on Carlos to turn to her friend, helplessly looking at her green fingers.

"Are you all right, Jennifer?" Mrs. Mitchell asked. Her and Logan rushed to pick the items.

"Are you gonna' have your baby?" Logan asked curiously.

"I-I don't think so honey," she said, righting herself with a groan, and ruffling his dark hair. "But, I'll let you know if I need your help, Batman." He grinned up at her.

"What about me, Captain America?" James asked with an indignant pout.

"Oh you too, sweetie. And Hulk, and my Spiderman," she said tearing up a bit. "I have all my superheroes right here with me."

She hated that it was getting more difficult to control her emotions, but between the spike in hormones, and the fact that her husband and her were not on the best of terms lately, it happened. They finished dressing the boys and posed them in front of the big picture window.

The same picture window, where many memorable photos would be taken throughout the years.

Mr. Mitchell pulled into the driveway and whistled as he headed to the door. Logan recognized the familiar tune and raced to the door to greet him.

"Dad!"

"Ha Ha! Look at you!" he said with a serious expression, scooping him up in his arms. "You look like you could take on all the town's villains with the help of your friends!" He smiled over his son's little shoulder, and the moms smiled back.

"Well, we should get going before the doorbell starts ringing and we never get away," Mrs. Diamond suggested.

"Wait, I'm the only fella?" Mr. Mitchell asked, feigning fear.

"'Fraid so," Mrs. Garcia said. "Antonia couldn't get away tonight."

Mr. Mitchell studied the small boy's sad green face which was staring at him wistfully. He set Logan down and knelt by Carlos, pulling Logan on one knee and Carlos on the other.

"Looks like us men will have to stick together and protect these dames," he whispered. He motioned the other two curious boys over. "Let's bond together now, and keep an eye out for villains. These dames won't admit it, but they need our help."

The four tiny heads nodded vigorously. "Hey, who you callin' dames?" Mrs. Mitchell joked.

"Not you, honey," he said, winking at the four boys. They winked back.

Mrs. Knight left the outside light on, and set the candy bowl with the note on a table on the front porch. She sighed as she descended the steps to fall in step with the others. It was getting harder and harder to hide her despair from the others.

"Which way men?" Mr. Mitchell asked.

"Thatta' way!" James called, pointing left and toward the school. He remembered that some of the best houses were that direction. Big houses like his own that gave out full-sized candy bars.

"Right ! Onward!" he said.

"Daddy, why are you talking so silly?" Logan asked, in a giggly voice.

Mrs. Knight felt another slight cramp as they made it to the first house, but she decided not to mention. After all, they had just started. She wanted to share this Halloween with Kendall before the baby came. He couldn't be without either one of them.

"We think you boys are big enough to go up to the doors yourselves this year," Mrs. Garcia informed them.

"Really?" James asked excitedly, giving his mom a sideways glance through his mask to be sure she was on-board with the idea.

"Yes," they all said at once.

The first house they came to certainly went all out for Halloween, with cobwebs, ghosts and eerie lights. The brave little superheroes paused to stare. "Go-go on Kendall," James said, expecting him to lead as usual.

"You can go, James," Kendall said, nudging him back.

"Why don't you go first, Carlos?" James urged.

"No way!" Carlos said. "I didn't bring my helmet."

They all turned to Logan, who looked back at his dad, still standing on the sidewalk. His dad smiled and waved. Logan took a deep breath, spun around with a flip of his black cape, and bravely started up the walk. Impressed with his courage, they followed.

The door opened and a woman in a witch costume came with a bowl of candy. Logan, who had led the way to her door, had second thoughts and tucked himself snugly between the two biggest boys. They instinctively placed an arm around their smaller friend.

"Trick-or-treat!" the four little voices chorused.

"What strapping young fellows we have here to protect us!" she cried, letting them pick out their own candy bar.

Carlos' face lit up when he saw they were full-sized. He chose a snickers, and flung it in his sack. "Thanks, lady!" he said, trying not to bounce up and down with glee.

Kendall and James pushed Logan forward first, and he choose the Reese's cups, having a hard time seeing what he chose through the eye-holes of his mask, he went for the bright orange wrapper. James grabbed a Hershey's bar and Kendall a Payday.

They strutted proudly back to the waiting parents, and showed them what they collected. They made it all the way to that door alone, refrained from bolting from the witch who answered, and now felt a new sense of heroism, worthy of the suits they wore.

xxx

The group made its way around the neighborhood square, and the little boys were getting accustomed to going to doors by themselves. There were a couple of houses that made them nervous enough to almost pull Mr. Mitchell along, but they stayed linked together and made their way alone.

"Carlos," Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell said, "how about stopping downtown of the businesses, and then we can visit the police station as well?"

"Oh, boy! Can we mommy?" Carlos beamed.

His mom smiled. "That would make Papi so happy!" she said.

"Sweet! I love the police station!" Kendall squealed.

They entered the station and saw a couple of officers filling out paperwork. "Antonio Garcia in?" his wife asked with a grin. "His little Hulk and team of superheroes would like to pay him a visit."

"Sorry, just missed him Mrs. Garcia," one officer said apologetically. "He was called out on a vandalism case. Something about a pack of spooks spray-painting a fence."

The little boys' eyes grew wide when they heard there were spooks up to mischief, but the only ones eyes that could be seen, were Carlos', and he was hiding behind Kendall.

"Aw, that's too bad," said Mrs. Diamond, giving Carlos' shoulder a squeeze.

"How would you heroes like a treat bag, though?" the officer asked.

Curious office workers and other staff gathered around to admire the young boys. They smiled and murmured about how cute they all were together.

The boys nodded enthusiastically about the goodies, and he reached below the counter to pull out a box of small paper bags with police shields printed on them.

"Trick-or-treat!" they all chimed automatically. They held out their sacks and containers for him to drop one in.

He chuckled and tossed one into each opening. "Oh, can I get a photo of the little guys for the station bulletin board?"

"Sure," said the moms.

He snapped a few pictures of the boys as they posed in superhero stances. Mrs. Knight rubbed her tightening belly as she waited, and took a cleansing breath. The intensity of her discomfort was growing, but it was nothing she couldn't handle, she told herself.

"Bye Officer!" the boys called.

"Bye!" the employees and other officers called back.

"Bye now, and look both ways before crossing the street!" he warned.

"We will!" four small voices replied.

They did not get far from the station, when a horn sounded behind them and the automatic window of the black and white car, slid down. "Could I borrow your heroic skills?" a toothy Officer Garcia asked cheerfully.

"Papi!" Carlos cried happily.

All four boys ran to him when he exited the vehicle. He threw his arms around his son first, then around the remaining three.

"I have something special for my boys," he said with a shuffle back to the squad car. He came back with four tote bags that said 'Police Dept.' on them.

"What are those, Papi?" Carlos asked with round eyes, that glowed white within his bright green face.

"Well, let's see..." he said, peeking inside one. "Badges, flashlights, identification cards to fill out, glow-sticks, whistles-"

Kendall cut him off with a cheer. "Can I use my glow-stick now?!"

"Sure," he said, taking the blue one out and giving it a good snap. Kendall spun around with it, shooting webs from his gloves as he went.

"Wow!" Logan cried. "That looks neat! Can I have my flashlight?"

After all four boys had either a flashlight or a glow-sick in hand, they left Mr. Garcia to do his job. They headed back toward home, stopping at houses along the way. Before they knew it the boys were slowing down, their bags growing heavy, and stifling sleepy yawns.

Mrs. Knight was just about to give in, and concede that she was having pains at regular intervals, when she became determined to make it the rest of the way. She waddled along gingerly, until the boys arrived at the very last house.

It was the scariest house of all...

The one that Kendall feared all year long, and that all his friends knew to avoid...

It belonged to his neighbor, Mr. Habner.

"Shouldn't we just skip this house?" whispered Logan, while the parents were all talking to one another.

"But, I wanna' know what kind of candy he has," Carlos said, already shoveling another piece from his bag, into his puffy cheek.

"Carlos, you won't have any good candy to trade when we're through if you eat it all now," Kendall scolded. "and, I wanna' shoot him with my webs!" he said impishly, raising a wicked eyebrow.

"Yeah!" James agreed, "and I'll use my shield on him!"

"Won't we get in trouble?" Logan asked in a squeaky little voice.

Kendall rolled his eyes. "How does Spiderman, Batman, Captain America, and the Hulk get in trouble? We're superheroes for crying out loud!" he scoffed.

"Yeah, it's not like we can get spanked or grounded!" James said haughtily, puffing up his chest, adjusting his foam torso again.

Logan was skeptical, but followed behind his leaders. Carlos flexed his foam arms and grunted ferociously once, before continuing up the walkway. The door was on the side of the house, and Logan swallowed nervously when he realized hat they could no longer see the parents.

Spiderman rang he bell, flanked by Captain America and the Hulk. Logan stood behind hem. "Trick-or-treat!" they shouted. They could hear a horror movie blaring from inside, so they shouted louder.

"**Trick-or-treat!"**

There was no reply, even though the television lights were clearly flickering inside and they could make out he silhouette of an elderly man in a rocking chair against the wall. The shadow outlined his still form, head thrown back and mouth gaped wide.

"Do-do you think he's dead?" James asked.

Logan's knees begin to knock. "D-dead?"

Meanwhile, Mrs. Knight felt a stab of pain through her abdomen, and clutched Mrs. Mitchell's arm. "Are you all right, Jennifer?"

She let out a yelp of pain with the next one, and Mr. Mitchell rushed to support her folding body.

"I'll get her overnight bag!" Mrs. Diamond offered.

"Oh wait, my keys are in my pocket,"she said.

The boys heard panicked voices and became nervous. They decided to hide in the bushes.

"You're shaking like a leaf!" Mrs. Garcia noticed.

"I'm a bit cold," she said.

"I'll go with you and grab a blanket!" Mrs. Mitchell said.

"How can we get a hold of Don?" Mr. Mitchell asked, still holding her up."

Mrs. Knight let out a loud moan when the next pain caught her off-guard. She shrugged and bit her lip.

"Okay, we'll all drive you over!" he said, trying to keep his own stress out of his voice.

Mrs. Diamond came running with the overnight bag, and Mrs. Mitchell wrapped the white fleece throw around her friend's trembling shoulders.

"I have her now!" his wife said, "just pull up the car, honey!"

When the boys heard the running footsteps nearby, they hid further behind the neighbor's house in terror. There was a dead man inside and now something was after them.

They clung to one another. Logan whimpered into the side of James larger body. "What if it got our mommies and your daddy?" Carlos cried.

"Shhh!" Kendall whispered, pulling them further from the house to hide behind the shed.

"Let's go!" Mrs. Garcia called, as soon as the car jolted to a stop at the curb. The women began to tug her to the backseat of the car.

"Wait! What about the boys!" she cried.

"Oh my God!" Mrs. Diamond wailed, "where are they?"

Mrs. Knight fought the helping hands, and made her way to the side of Mr. Habner's house, with the others trailing along.

"Kendall!" she cried, unable to hide her fear and pain.

"Something has my mom!" Kendall cried.

The chaos woke Mr. Habner from his slumber, and he stumbled to the back door, crabby and mumbling about how much he hated Halloween with all the little hoodlums.

James screamed when he saw the shadow of the man looming in the doorway, just as Kendall saw a white figure running toward them moaning. He screamed in unison with James, and the two smaller boys, understanding that their bigger protectors were terrified, ran willy-nilly to the alley, screaming as they went.

"Do you think it's the old man's ghost?!" Carlos cried.

The two taller boys chased after the them and before they knew it they were lost, panting for a breath and sobbing.

'I want my Papi!" Carlos wailed, the tears leaving tear tracks through his green make-up.

Logan was on the ground, curled up in a Batman ball, cape pulled tightly around his wee body, and hands placed protectively over his head as he shuddered.

James was spinning frantically around in circles, looking for evil-doers, shrieking as his shield shook violently. Kendall was shooting a maze of silly string in the direction of the shouts, eyes filled with tears of fear.

The shouts were nearing, and the boys helped one another run from it...further and further down the alley and further and further away from Kendall's house.

Mrs. Knight was forced to recline in the backseat of Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell's car when she could no longer stand.

"Don't worry Jennifer, we'll find the boys and I'll bring them by the hospital when we do. Maybe Don will be back too!" Mrs. Garcia said. Mrs. Diamond stayed behind to find their sons.

They waved them off and went inside the house. Mrs. Garcia phoned the station immediately, and explained what happened. Mrs. Diamond was at Mr. Habner's door.

"Have you seen four little superheroes, about this tall?" she asked through a sea of tears.

"'Course not!" he shouted.

"But they were here, last!" she shouted back, catching on that he was hearing-impaired when he fiddled with his hearing aid.

"You need to keep track of your own little monsters!" he shouted. "Sound too young to be running around unsupervised!"

"You don't understand! We were right there the entire time, but they got spooked and ran-" she tried to explain.

"**SPOOKED?! DON'T CARE!"** he shouted, and promptly slammed the door in her face. She sighed in frustration and stomped her foot.

"The boys are right about, you know!" she yelled at the closed door. "You are a-a horrible old man! Jamie!" she called into the darkness of his back yard.

He turned the porch light off on her. She stormed down the walkway, tripping over the various landscaping, and saw to another group finishing up their trick-or-treating.

"Yoo-hoo!" she called, "Have you seen four little boys in superhero costumes without adults?"

They shook their heads. "Jaaaaamie!" she called more desperately.

She returned to Mrs. Garcia to see if she had any hope that her husband could help them find the boys. "Antonio is on his way, but I'm worried Brooke," she said.

"Me too! That horrible old coot next door, Mr. Habner, wouldn't even let me search his yard, but I called, and they didn't respond!" she cried. The women held each other for a moment.

"Let's go," Mrs. Garcia said, "Antonio will just have to find us too!"

xxx

The boys were petrified. Teenagers in scary costumes were roaming the streets. Carloads of them were hitting their brakes, skidding to leave wavy tracks of burned black rubber behind. The boys hid in the shadows in a huddle, tears streaming down their faces.

Kendall, Logan and James abandoned their masks in their candy containers, so that they could see any would-be attackers. "I d-don't even know where we are," Kendall admitted, his stomach clenched with panic.

"Are-are we going to die?" Carlos asked in a tiny shrill voice.

"No," James assured him, hazel eyes wide with fear. He rubbed the smaller boys back.

"Are you sure?" Carlos asked.

"I don't know!" James finally sobbed, falling to his knees. "I don't want to die!" He threw his head into his hands and blubbered.

"Pull yourself together, James! We need to stay united!" he said, raising a finger to the sky.

The maniacal laughter of a Halloween decoration went off when his booming voice triggered the sensor. He screamed and sprinted down the alley, the other boys flailing and screaming behind him.

A bright light momentarily blinded them, and they shielded their eyes. The sound of tires on gravel crunched closer. The boys were still screaming, when strong arms reached down and scooped them up. They kicked and screamed and fought like true little superheroes in order to protect themselves and one another.

"Let us go!" James shouted.

"Leave him alone!" Kendall yelled.

"Call 911!" Carlos screamed, remembering what his Papi had told him about signaling for help.

"Stranger danger!" Logan squeaked.

"Boys! Boys!" the officers shouted, "It's okay now! We have you!"

The still-sniffling boys opened their eyes warily to find that the vehicle was in fact a squad car, and the men were indeed some of the city's finest.

"Boy, is your daddy going to be glad to hear from me," the blond officer said to Carlos, with a warm smile. They placed the little boys in the back of the patrol car, and climbed in the front.

The passenger immediately picked up his phone. "Antonio! Guess who we found!" he said happily.

xxx

Mr. Knight snored in the chair next to his wife at the hospital. He told her over and over again, how sorry he was that he chose to stop at the pub that night, instead of coming home as he promised. He stayed awake as long as he could before succumbing to sleep, smelling of beer.

Mrs. Knight sighed, and smiled weakly at her handsome boy. "Mom, are you gonna' be okay?" he asked with a worried wrinkle of his brow.

"I'm going to be just fine, sweetie. The baby isn't ready to come yet, but she fooled me into thinking she was," she said with a tired smile. "It's called false labor."

"Mom?" Kendall said, just as she was about to go back under.

"What sweetie?"

"Is she gonna' be the kind who plays a lot of tricks on us?"

"Why do you say that?" she asked.

"'Cause she's not even here, and she's already doing that!"

xxx

James insisted on sleeping between his parents that night. They both stroked back his silky bangs and smiled down at their son. He was the best thing the two of them ever created, and he was the reason they were still together. They fought often, but James was the glue that held the marriage together.

They knew that for his own good, they had to send him back to his own room the following evening, but for tonight, it was the most content they felt as a family in a long time. Their bundle of joy was growing up strong and tall, and he was safe between them. Almost losing him made them realize what was truly important, James. They clicked off the light and each held a tiny hand as they slept.

xxx

Logan asked his dad to leave the light on again. Mr. Mitchell did not question it, just snapped on the batman nightlight and sat on the edge of his son's bed. He handed him the stuffed dog and kissed his forehead.

Mrs. Mitchell entered the room and took her place beside her husband. "Did you want me to read you a story Logie-bear?" she asked. His eyes drooped and he shook his head with great effort.

"Okay baby, good-night," she said, kissing him on the cheek. He blinked, his eyes already lost in another world. They stood and watched the dark lashes meet the pale cheeks, and stay there.

They looked at one another and smiled. He was sound asleep already, worn out from his adventures. He twitched once and his breathing evened out. She wondered what he would dream about, but she imagined he was dreaming that he was leaping through Gotham City, saving damsels in distress.

xxx

Carlos fell asleep in his father's arms. Mr. Garcia had to admit that he wanted to hold him safely in his arms as much as Carlos wanted to be held. It had scared him deeply when he received the call that he and the other boys were lost.

Being a police officer he knew of all the dangers out there, and it was all he could do not to leave the accident scene that he was over-seeing, and find his son. He sighed long and deep, and kissed his tiny boy on the top of his wavy dark hair. He wished he could keep him small and safe forever.

Mrs. Garcia came to see both her boys, and kissed them both on the cheek. She felt so lucky to be Carlos' mom, and the wife of such a wonderful caring father. He scooted over to make room for her in the big leather chair, and she managed to squeeze herself in. They sat quietly for a long while, enjoying being a family, before finally rising to put their son in his bed and call it the most frightening Halloween ever.

Everyone got spooked.

**Happy Halloween! =^.^=**

**Crumpet**


	13. Birthday Bash

**A/N: Just a short tribute to the wonderful Kendall on his birthday!**

**13. Birthday Bash!**

Kendall got off the bus with Carlos and waved to Logan and James. "I'll see you guys later!" he called.

They smiled and waved, as they drove away to get off at the next stop. Kendall could barely contain his excitement. It was his birthday and in only two hours, they would all be reunited for a party at his house. Kendall looked both ways, his eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"Where's your mama?" Carlos asked first.

It was Mrs. Knight's turn to pick the boys up at the end of the block, but she was nowhere to be seen. Two older boys studied the smaller two, and whispered to one another. Carlos instinctively reached a hand over to Kendall's and gripped it tightly.

The boys snickered. "Aw! Ain't that sweet! A couple of girly boys!" They walked closer to the two little boys.

"Back off!" Kendall cried, pushing Carlos behind him.

"Protecting your boyfriend?" The chubby one asked. "Let us take care of him."

Kendall had no idea what the boy was talking about, but he knew that Carlos was frightened, and that was all he needed to know. "He's coming home with me!"

"I bet he is, you perv!" the other boy hooted.

Kendall didn't know what 'perv' meant, but he had a pretty good feeling that it was a bad word. He leaned over to Carlos and whispered, "When I run, run as fast as you can."

Carlos nodded. "What are gonna' do, kiss him?" the chubby boy asked mockingly.

Kendall gripped Carlos' hand tighter, and ran as fast as he could. Carlos stumbled to keep up, and ran faster than he ever had in his life. The boys pursued as far as the driveway, then afraid that they might be caught, bolted away.

Kendall flung open the foyer door, tugging Carlos inside, and banged it closed behind them. He locked it, still panting. Carlos sat in a heap at the foot of the stairs breathing heavily.

"That was a close one," Kendall panted. Carlos nodded, still fighting to regulate his breathing.

Carlos followed Kendall through the house. "Where's your mama?" he asked again.

"I don't know," Kendall said suspiciously. He jumped around each corner, half-expecting her to jump out and yell 'Happy Birthday' at any given moment.

There was no sign of a party. No balloons, no streamers or banners...no cake or presents.

"She didn't forget it was your birfday, did she?" Carlos asked.

Kendall swallowed. It did seem like that was in fact the case. He sighed and sat down on a kitchen chair, pouting. Carlos put a small arm around his friend.

"Maybe, she's just trying to fool you," Carlos whispered. Kendall shook his head and studied his feet.

"Kendalllll!" a deep voice shouted, making the boys jump.

"My dad!" Kendall exclaimed. "He's usually at work now! I'll be right back."

He raced up the stairs, while Carlos waited. Alone now, he crept around, looking behind things for hidden presents. He heard the dad's loud voice from upstairs, and he tried to make out what he was saying.

"...brat!...mom left...room!" _**Smack!**_ All he could hear then, was Kendall crying. Carlos was scared, and he edged toward the foyer.

_**Smack! Smack! **_More sobbing. Carlos debated what to do. He heard another crash and a whimper from up above.

"K-Kendall?!" he called up the stairs in a shaky little voice.

Footsteps sounded across the floor, and a half-dressed man appeared at the top of the stairs. He stared down at the wide-eyed little brunet below.

"Who are you?!" he demanded to know.

"C-Carlos," he stammered, backing closer to the front door nervously.

Kendall slowly walked up to his father, obviously trembling and holding a scarlet cheek. He was biting his lower lip and trying his best to stop the flow of tears with his free hand.

"K-Kendall?" Carlos said hoarsely, "are you okay?"

Kendall nodded, but Carlos knew that he was hurt. "I didn't know you had company! Why didn't you tell me?!" he asked his son.

Kendall gulped in a mouthful of air and coughed, turning it into a sob. It broke Carlos' heart to see his friend so sad.

"P-Please don't hurt him, Mr., he's my friend," Carlos pleaded.

The man laughed. "Well, he's my son, and he's going to be spending the rest of the night in his room!"

"But-but it's his birfday!" Carlos exclaimed.

The man looked surprised. He slowly turned to his little blond boy and tilted his head to the side. "You mean to tell me that your mom is laid up in the hospital about to drop another one, and it happens to be the anniversary of your birth?!"

He threw his head back and laughed a loud mirthless laugh. "Talk about irony!" he practically screamed, banging his head into the wall for theatrics.

Kendall backed away from him warily. "Make yourselves useful little boys, and bring me another beer from the fridge!" He stumbled back down the hall.

Kendall seized the opportunity, and dodged his dad, racing down the stairs to get to Carlos. His dad seemed to pay no attention to the dodge and evade maneuver, and disappeared back into a darkened room. The little boys wasted no time, in getting out the front door.

Afraid that the bullies might return to mess with them some more, they held hands and ran all the way to Carlos' house down the road. Mrs. Garcia heard the little pounding footsteps outside, and opened the front door to greet the desperate twosome.

"What is it, baby?" she asked, throwing her arms around the two sobbing boys.

"My-my daddy is drunk!" Kendall cried.

"Yeah, and he hit him!" Carlos said breathlessly.

Mrs. Garcia's face darkened, and she hugged the blond to her chest as he hiccupped. "There, there," she soothed. "We're going to see to it that you have the best birthday ever, right here. I'll let everyone know it's been moved."

"I don't want a party anymore," Kendall cried, shaking his head fervently, "I just want my mommy!"

Mr. Garcia came through the front door to find the boys crying, and his wife kneeling down with a handful of Kleenex.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"His daddy hit him and made him cry on his birfday!" Carlos sniffled.

Officer Garcia straightened himself, and an angry expression crossed his normally kind features. "Honey, I'm going to go pay Mr. Knight a visit. Please call Lady Knight, and let her know that her boy is here. I won't be long."

She nodded and pulled out her phone.

xxx

An hour and a half later, Kendall was surrounded by the people who loved him. The cake, balloons, decorations and presents were unloaded from Mrs. Knight's car, where they had been all along when she drove herself to the hospital with labor pains.

Mr. Knight was sleeping off a hang-over at the jail, Mrs, Knight was once again released due to false labor, and sitting with her now, six-year-old son on her lap.

Kendall placed his long slender fingers on her firm belly. "Mama, she played another trick on us!" he said, giving her a sly smile and showing her his dimples.

She smiled back and nodded. "Yes, she did, didn't she?"

"Blow out the candles, Kindle!" Logan cheered. "And don't forget to make a wish!"

Kendall scrunched up his eyes tightly, filled his cheeks with air, and concentrated on his wish. The room waited patiently until he finally expelled the air, and took out every flame.

"Yay!" everyone chorused.

"You'll get your wish Kenny, you blew them all out in one try!" James exclaimed happily.

Kendall grinned. "I know!"

He took in the sea of smiling faces surrounding him, and felt suddenly warm all over. He knew that he was already one of the luckiest boys. He had three best friends who would do anything for him, four mothers, and three other dads when he needed one. He even had a little sister to love, on the way. Even if his wish for the four of them to stay together forever and make all their dreams come true, didn't happen, he felt lucky.

"Sweetie?" his mom repeated. "Do you want to open your presents now, or would you rather go play for a while before cake and ice cream?"

"I want to play!" Kendall said without hesitation. "With all my best friends!" He reached for Logan and James' hands, but stopped short of holding them.

"Mom?" he asked.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Are we pervs, if we hold hands?" he asked innocently.

His mother's jaw dropped. 'Whoa, where did yo hear that word?"

"Some boys," Kendall said, his face reddening.

"Absolutely not," she assured him. "You are best friends, and you can hold hands all you want."

"Good!" Kendall said happily, reaching for the hands again, which were happily inserted into his. Carlos clasped Logan's free hand and skipped ahead, pulling the others.

Mrs. Knight watched the little boys run off together, all four holding hands now. She smiled and rubbed her belly. "You have a great big brother, little..." she hesitated and thought for a moment. "Katie-did!" she exclaimed.

"What was that, Jennifer?" the other moms asked.

"Katie," she said with a wide smile. She rubbed her belly again. "This is Katie," she said firmly.

They smiled, happy that she finally had a name to go with her brothers'.

**Happy Birthday Kendall! =^.^=**

**Crumpet**


	14. She's My Sister

**She's My Sister!**

Carlos tugged at Kendall's arm frantically. "Kendall!" Carlos whispered.

"What, Carlos?" Kendall tore his eyes away from the Power Rangers show just long enough to look at his friend.

"I think your mom is sick," he said. Kendall looked at his mom who was in the middle of the room, pacing back and forth across the living room rug.

"Mom?" Kendall asked.

She smiled. "I'm okay, just having some baby pains," she said cheerfully, although her smile seemed forced.

Kendall could see that she was a bit flushed, and he was pretty sure that he overheard her talking on the phone about the baby coming soon. "Will you be okay, mom?" he asked, suddenly very nervous that he might not see her again.

"Yes, sweetie. I had you, and here I am," she reassured him.

Carlos wasn't convinced she was fine, either. He was beginning to wonder if spending the night was such a good idea. Too bad his mami and papi went off for the weekend for a wedding. His wide eyes were a clear sign to Mrs, Knight that Carlos was terrified she would have her baby right there on the floor.

"What should we do if she comes?" Carlos squealed.

"Nothing," she said, suppressing a smile. If I think the baby is coming, I will go to the hospital and you boys will stay with Mrs. Mitchell."

Kendall's small face lit up. "Mom, can we just call her now?"

"Oh, you want Logan here, don't you?" she said, on to him immediately. He nodded.

"Well…," she began. They leaned in to wait for her answer when she paused. "_Ahhhhh!"_ She suddenly doubled over and held her bulbous belly.

"_MOM!" _Kendall cried, his eyes tearing up. Carlos threw a tiny arm around the larger blond boy.

She straightened the best she could, and gave what she intended to be another smile, but it was more of a grimace as she worked through the next contraction. "Maybe, we should call Joanna," she said, a bit breathless.

She phoned Joanna, and fought to control her voice as she spoke. "Joanna? I think Katy-did might be making an appearance sometime tonight."

x-x

The Mitchells were at the house in no time, and Jennifer was already experiencing contractions that were only six minutes apart.

"Do you have your doctor p-packed, and your bag phoned?" Mr. Mitchell asked nervously, twitching as he darted about the living room picking up useless items. Logan watched his dad curiously.

"Logan!" Kendall called, rushing to hug the small brunet boy. Logan grinned and hugged him back.

"Are you gonna' have a baby sister tonight?" he asked, brown eyes full of wonder.

"I think so," Kendall said. "Come sit with us."

The three boys sat together on the sofa with Logan tucked securely in the middle, and watched the adults panic.

"Don't worry Jen, He was like this when Logan was coming too, only triple the comedy," Joanna said with a grin.

Jennifer grinned back, until another sharp pain came. She leaned on her friend for support and panted. "Honey, you better just get her there. I'll stay with the kids. You _can_ get her there, right?" she asked as an afterthought when she saw her husband pick up the remote control and hand it to her.

"Here's the phone…I'll grab the overnight bag and put it in the –the…"

"Trunk," his wife finished for him.

"Right," he said. "Maybe I should stay with the kids, and you should go."

She took the keys from his hand. "I think you're right, honey." He sighed, looking sheepish, but also a bit relieved.

"Be good, kids!" Joanna called as they went out the door. Her husband trailed behind with the duffel bag.

"Honey, who's watching the kids?" she asked, when they were all three outside in the driveway.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, quickly hefting the bag into the trunk, and flying back into the house. "Call me!"

The two women laughed. "Sisterhood prevails," Joanna said, placing her pinky to Jennifer's pinky. "And, he took the keys back in with him," she said with a snort.

"Let's just take my car," Jennifer suggested.

x-x

The three small boys were still huddled together on the sofa watching the Power Ranger marathon. Logan had talked his dad into making popcorn, and even bringing them a plate-load of chocolate-chip cookies and milk.

Finally, after already waiting on the boys for a couple of hours, he sat in an over-sized chair and relaxed. The little dickens had exhausted him!

Suddenly, the door knob jiggled, and a man stumbled in. "Daddy!" Kendall cried, looking a bit frightened.

"Kenny!" he slurred. He looked over at the occupied chair. "Who's been sitting in my chair?" he asked with a facetious laugh.

"How ya' doing?"

"Fiiiiiine…" he drew out, "and where's my wife?"

"I'm Logan's dad, if you don't remember me from the pee wee hockey games, and your wife is at the hospital."

"What?! Why didn't she call me?" he asked angrily.

"I believe she tried, but didn't get an answer."

"Daddy, mommy's going to have the baby!" Kendall said, clinging to his dad's legs now. He ruffled his son's hair.

"Is that right?" he said. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get to the hospital, then."

"I can drive," Mr. Mitchell said, getting another whiff of alcohol. No wonder she didn't try harder to reach him, he thought to himself.

"Nonsense, we can't all fit in one car. "

"I can fit the boys in the back easily," he said, knowing there was no way he was letting any of them drive with him in his condition.

"You want to come with your old man, son?" he asked Kendall, ruffling his bangs again.

Kendall looked at the concerned expression on Mr. Mitchell's face, and looked down, shaking his head. He shrank away a bit when he saw his own father's scathing look, though. Carlos and Logan both wrapped their arms around him protectively.

x-x

The gang of four made it to the hospital with relatively any delay, even though the roads were a bit slick. Traffic had died down since rush hour, and the parking lot was emptying out since visiting hours had ended. The three boys followed behind Mr. Mitchell to the elevators. The doors closed, and he looked down at the three small faces looking up at him. Kendall's was full of excitement.

"Ready to meet your new sister?" he asked him. Kendall broke into a huge smile and nodded.

"Is she already here?" he asked.

"Well, I'm not sure, but it's pretty likely to be soon."

Logan reached for Kendall's hand and held it tight. He wasn't sure what Kendall might be thinking or feeling, but he knew that a new brother or sister was a big deal. Kendall squeezed back and smiled at his friend.

"What is her name?" Carlos asked, bouncing up and down.

"Katie!" Kendall said proudly, dimples deepening.

"Nice!" said Carlos.

The elevator opened to a bustling floor, full of activity. Mr. Mitchell led the small crew to the desk. "We'd like to know how Jennifer Knight is doing. This is her son, " he said, gesturing to the little blond.

The woman smiled. "Why hello. What is your name?" she asked.

"I'm Kendall!" he said. "Is Katie here, yet!"

She tilted her head, confused for a moment. "Oh! You must mean your new baby sister!" He nodded with a big smile. "Well, actually…" She went to her monitor. "Katie is not here yet, but she will be any minute. You have very good timing."

"I'll take the boys to the waiting area, then" Mr. Mitchell offered. "I'm Mr. Mitchell, and my wife Joanna is probably in with Jen, so if she could know I'm here with the boys?"

"I'll let them know. The waiting area is just over there," she said, pointing to an area with chairs, tables and televisions.

"Come on, boys," he said. "Oh, and her husband should be arriving shortly, too. Could you please let him know where we are?"

"Sure," she said.

The boys sat in the big chairs, and watched the cartoons on the television. Mr. Mitchell Picked up a sports magazine, glancing at it absent-mindedly.

"Mr. Mitchell?" the same woman said, only her cheerful demeanor was replaced with a somber one. "May I speak with you, please?"

He slowly lowered the magazine, fearing the tone of her voice. Was something wrong with the baby? With Jen? "Of course," he said, heart sinking. "Boys, stay right here. I'll be able to see you from where I'm at."

The boys all nodded, and he followed the woman aside. "I'm so sorry to tell you this, but the baby's father has been in a serious accident, and we have him on another floor."

Mr. Mitchell's eyes widened. "But that can't be…we just saw him," he said, trying to organize his thoughts.

"I'm sorry. His wife doesn't know yet. She's just given birth."

He nodded. "I'll let my wife be the one…" he trailed off. "Miss, how bad is he?"

"Critical, I'm afraid. Several broken bones and lacerations. Severe blood loss and head trauma. He's undergoing a transfusion as we speak, and headed to surgery."

"Th-thank you."

What if Kendall had been in that vehicle with him? What if Jen had been as well. They might be mourning the deaths of all four of them, not the birth of one. He wondered how Jen would take the news. He knew there had been marital problems, and he knew that he drank too much. It was obvious that he'd been drinking that day…

He was pulled from his thoughts by a pair of little hands tugging at the hem of his shirt. "Daddy! Daddy!" the little voice persisted. "What's wrong?"

He looked down to find his own son looking up at him with worried brown eyes, stark against his ivory skin. He dropped to his knees and hugged him tight. He never wanted to let go. He was so fortunate to have him. Kendall and Carlos came to where he knelt, concern on their little faces as well. He embraced them too, kissing each one on top of the head.

"Your mama and baby sister are just fine," he reassured them, trying to blink back the tears in his eyes. He swallowed the lump in his throat. The woman was back. She smiled a sweet sad smile.

"Congratulations, Kendall! Your new baby sister has arrived!" she said.

"Yay!" he cheered. Logan and Carlos cheered too. They hugged Kendall.

"Is she gonna' play hockey, too?" Carlos asked.

Kendall scrunched up his face and thought hard. "I don't know," he said. "She might just play with dolls."

"Oh," Carlos said, losing some of his enthusiasm.

"Or, she might like both," the nurse said. Carlos smiled.

Mrs. Mitchell was heading to her husband. He opened his arms to her. She was beaming from ear to ear. "She did it! She brought a beautiful baby girl into the world!" she said emotionally.

They hugged and Logan slipped his little body between them. They hugged him too. "Can we see her, mom?" he asked.

"Yep, she's in the nursery. I'll take everyone," she said.

"Honey, can I speak to you first?" She nodded, sensing something was wrong. "Just hang on one moment boys, while we talk."

"What is it?" she asked nervously.

He sighed. "Kendall's daddy is in serious condition. He had an accident on the way here, and he's on another floor," he finished quickly.

"Oh my god."

"What do we do?" he asked.

"Let Kendall meet his baby sister, and let Jen be happy for a while. She won't be surprised that he's not here…you know," she said.

"The thing is Joanna, he was with us at the house. He came right behind us. Said he was going to change first…"

"Was he drunk?" Joanna asked. He nodded and looked down.

"Thank God the no one else was in the car," she said. "Let's go. Oh look, Brooke is here!"

"Hi! We got here as soon as we could!" she said breathlessly.

"Great! We were just about to give the boys their first peek at Katie," Joanna said.

"James!" the little boys called, rushing him and throwing their arms around him for a group hug. He grinned. "I wanna' see her!" he said.

"Come on!" Kendall exclaimed. "Let's go meet my new sister!"

They rounded up the boys and took them to the nursery window. "Which one is she?" Carlos asked, looking at the rows of swaddled infants in incubators.

"I see her," Kendall said, his bright green eyes lighting up. "She's that one!"

They all looked to see which baby Kendall was referring to. A tiny bundle in a pink blanket with a pinched pink face, was the one he pointed to. She was the only one not crying, and she seemed to be looking right at them.

"She's cute!" James said. Logan nodded, staring at the new life with fascination.

"Is that baby actually, Katie Knight?" Mr. Mitchell asked an attendant leaving the nursery.

"I'll find out for you," she said with a grin. She re-entered, and studied the tag on the incubator. She gave them a thumbs up.

"How did you know that?" Joanna asked in amazement. Kendall shrugged smugly.

"She's my sister!"

**Thanks for reading everyone! **

**Crumpet**


	15. Panic Button!

**Hello everyone! Sorry it took so long to update this one. I worked on Ho Ho Ho for the holidays instead, but by request I wanted to get another chapter up. **

**Thanks for the last chapter's reviews; winterschild11, Sassyascanbe14, LazyLazyWriter, AkireAlev, lillygirl42001, xxRikkexx1, Jewel Princess 12, xFanaticTeenx, and guest. (:**

**15. Panic Button!**

The sleeping baby girl was unaware that four little faces surrounded her bassinet. She slept soundly in her cocoon of warm softness. Mrs. Knight was only feet from her new daughter, but was dead to the world due to her recent tribulations. She lay sprawled on the bed, mouth hanging open and nightgown askew. The boys had been left in her care while the other mothers worked, in hopes of keeping Kendall company, but she had her husband's brother there to watch over them, her last choice while her husband was still in the hospital

He in turn, had waited until his brother's wife fell asleep and the boys were entranced by cartoons, to make his getaway. He'd felt cooped up with the new baby and his fatigued sister-in-law, who was too tired to even make meals. He decided to slip out for a case of beer and a burger before she awoke.

"I'll be back in a few, son. Stay out of trouble. That goes for all of you!" he warned with a wagging finger.

The boys nodded timidly and leaned toward one another for comfort and support. He shook his head and left before they could ask any questions. Now here they were, unsupervised, hungry and extremely curious about the new baby.

Katie fidgeted in her onesie, stretching every which way to appease her growing limbs. The boys stifled giggles and stared down at the newborn in awe. They had even left their Cartoon Network marathon just to get a peek at the brand new wonder.

"She's so tiny!" Carlos whispered louder than most boys would talk. "Why is she _sooo_ tiny?"

"Shhhh!" James warned, unknowingly adding to the array of sounds that would prove to startle a new baby. He wasn't sure that he wanted the little bundle awake, no matter how cute it was to look at.

Logan just shook his head at the two bickering boys, now battling silently with hand gestures and facial expressions. Kendall smiled, only amused while in his euphoric state of being. She was beautiful and she was all his. Maybe it wasn't the boy he'd hoped for when he first learned his mom had a baby in her belly and wasn't just getting plump, but he already had three brothers in his eyes.

This fragile wonder was not like his 'brothers' at all. It was amazing, different...and so very _girly._ She wore all pink and her booties were trimmed in eyelet. He felt all pink himself when he looked at her, _his_ sister.

"You have a silly grin on your face that never goes away," Logan pointed out, in an actual whisper.

Kendall shrugged and giggled without thinking, quickly covering his mouth to silence it. The boys' eyes grew wide when the wee bundle began to twist and turn, eyes scrunching into slits and bow mouth into a pucker.

"Ahhhhh..." Kendall said in a panicked way, and jerked his head to look at his mother who still lay snoring.

The baby was like an inchworm wriggling every which way, and her face was deepening from pink to purple. The boys felt as if she were about to blow at any second.

"Wh-Whatta' we do?" James asked, suddenly feeling like hiding behind the curtains.

"I d-don't know," Kendall whispered back.

"Pick her up!" Logan scolded, just as the baby took in a gulp of air and prepared to let loose.

Kendall scooped the baby from the bassinet and held her close to his chest, just as he'd been instructed to do at the hospital. Logan helped support her head from behind.

"Let's take her out of here!" Carlos whisper-yelled, leading them from the room.

The boys entered the living area and Kendall eased himself down to the sofa, just as Katie expelled a wail. "Won't we get in trouble for leaving the bedroom?" Logan asked nervously, rubbing the baby's back gently as Kendall swayed gently in his seat, hoping to sooth his sister.

"I don't know, but _we_ woke her up and mom's tired!" he reminded them.

He wished his dad was home, but after three days of him being around more than he'd ever seen him, he was back to his usual habits. Jennifer had had her first relaxing shower before he'd disappeared that day, and it was the first time she'd been allowed to actually sleep deeply.

"Do you think she's hungry?" Carlos asked. "I cry when I'm hungry and no one will feed me."

"Mom fed her right before she fell asleep," Kendall said, dismissing the idea.

"Yeah, but new babies eat a lot!" Logan exclaimed. "My mom said so."

James was covering his ears as the wail progressed into high-pitched aural knives of horror, as they pierced his delicate eardrums. He broke into song, singing _Rock-A-Bye Baby__,_ hoping to drown out the offensive sound.

Surprisingly, the baby quieted and opened her eyes, turning toward the voice and cooing while she gnawed on her fist. The boys sighed in relief when James seemed to hypnotize the infant with his melodic tune.

"She might be wet," Logan suggested.

"I don't know how to change a diaper," Kendall said. James had stopped crooning to partake in the conversation, and the baby began to squirm in her brother's arms once more. "Sing!" Kendall ordered. James rolled his eyes, but began to hum obediently.

"How hard can it be to change a diaper?" Carlos asked. "It's not hard like math...or science...or-"

"Okay, Carlos! We get the point!" Logan interrupted. "I just don't want us to get in trouble! No one said we could change the baby by ourselves, and babies are delicate!"

Carlos pouted at the scolding, but smiled when the finger he ran along the palm of the baby's hand was grasped firmly in tiny fingers. "Can we warm up a bottle for her?"

"That's a good idea!" Kendall said. "I saw mom do it, and she has a few of them in the fridge!"

He gently handed the baby to James, who desperately tried to side-step the hand-off but failing, accepted. "Uh...uh..." he mumbled, shifting from foot to foot nervously.

"Sit down so you don't drop her," Logan ordered, clearing him a spot on the sofa. James sat down nervously, afraid that he might break the little burden. "There, now use this sofa pillow to prop up your arm. That's what my mom did when my cousin was born."

"Okaaay," James said breathing rapidly. "How long til Kendall's back?" he asked, paling a bit.

Carlos went to meet up with Kendall in the kitchen, and left the other two to tend the baby. "What are you doing?" he asked curiously, scrunching up his pug nose when he saw Kendall running warm tap water over the bottle.

"I'm heating it up...then I'm s'pposed to sprinkle it on my wrist and see if it's too warm," Kendall said confidently.

"Wow! That's neat. What do you do if it's too warm?" he asked.

Kendall thought for a moment. "I don't know," he answered honestly, bright green eyes questioning. They could hear Katie crying again from the kitchen. "I bet he stopped singing," Kendall said accusingly. Carlos nodded.

"Maybe you should sing."

The boys returned to see two worried boys staring up at them. "She won't listen to my songs anymore," James said with a pout on his handsome face.

Logan nodded, backing him up. "It's true," he said, dimples moving as he talked, "and she doesn't want to be rocked anymore, either," he added.

"Well, I have her bottle. Let's see if she'll drink it." Kendall gave one last glance at the open bedroom door, a bit surprised that his mother hadn't woke when the baby cried.

He carefully inserted the nipple into the baby's open mouth, and juggled it as he'd seen his mother do for the past three days. The baby latched on to it eagerly, and instantly quieted. When he realized that his sister was actually drinking and he was the one who was feeding her, he smiled proudly, his dimples surfacing.

The other boys smiled back, relieved and feeling pride as well. After all, they had helped him take care of her. They settled in beside their friend, taking their places on the sofa and watched the baby slowly drain the bottle.

"She's really cute," Carlos said, leaning his head on James' chest happily. "Why is she so pink?" he asked in bewilderment.

""Cause she's a girl, silly!" Kendall said, humming happily.

Logan tilted his head to study the nursing baby and smiled too. He leaned into the taller boy holding the contented infant. "She's kind of going to be like our sister too, isn't she?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure," Kendall said. "We're like brothers, so she's gotta' be."

x-x

Mrs. Knight still hadn't come to find her missing baby, and the boys were growing sleepy watching the baby's eyes droop.

"Shouldn't we change her before we put her back in her bed?" Logan asked sensibly. "She could get a diaper rash."

"But, I'm afraid to change her," Kendall reiterated. "What if-what if we do somethin' wrong?"

"We'll be a team," Carlos said. "Team diaper change!"

"I'll get the supplies!" James said hurriedly, wanting nothing to do with the change, itself.

"I'll throw out the old diaper and lay down the clean changing pad," Carlos said. He ran to retrieve the diaper bag from the kitchen chair.

"I'll help you," Logan assured the blond.

Kendall nodded gratefully. "Okay, let's do this," he said somberly.

Carlos spread out the changing pad on the sofa. They laid the baby down on it carefully. James stood nearby, prepared to sing if necessary, and Carlos waited patiently with plastic bag in hand. Logan crouched down beside the sofa while Kendall slowly unsnapped the onesie and removed the diaper. Fortunately the baby was just wet this time, and Kendall tossed the disposable diaper into the open sack Carlos held.

"She's so wrinkly!" he said in exasperation.

"So were we!" Kendall snapped.

"What's that on her belly?" Carlos asked.

"Ewww!" James cried, disgusted by the 'thing' protruding from the baby's naval.

"Mom says it's 'sposed to be there!" Kendall said defensively.

"It is," Logan said. "It's her 'bilical cord."

"Her _what_?" Carlos asked, making a face at the nasty green-hued attachment.

"'Bilical cord," Logan repeated. "I don't know what it's there for though."

"Oh, a belly button," Carlos said smugly. "It doesn't have a porpose, does it?"

"Well, everything has a purpose on the human body," Logan said, "at least I think so."

His thirst for knowledge had him already planning how he could find a way to reach the birthing book that his mother had purposely placed out of reach on a top shelf, to unravel such mysteries.

Kendall unfolded and placed the new diaper that James had handed him, under the moving target. He sloppily fastened the Velcro tabs, the tip of his pink tongue peeking out from the corner of his mouth as he concentrated.

"Good job!" Logan praised, impressed when he'd finished the feat.

"Are you guys finished?" James asked. The boys turned to find James shielding his eyes.

"Yes. What are you doing, James?" Kendall asked.

"I don't want to see, well... _any_ of that!" he explained.

Kendall went to re-snap the undershirt and gasped. "It's gone!" he shrieked.

"What's gone?!" Carlos asked, huddling closer to James in terror.

"The bili-thingie!" he cried. "The button!"

"What?! But, it was just there!" Logan squeaked.

"Are you sure?" James asked.

"Of course, I'm sure! Look, there's just a bloody spot where it used to be!" he squealed, pointing to the place, then frantically digging around for the missing part.

Logan helped rummage through the pillows and cushions, when they heard a soft thud from behind. Carlos was kneeling over a prone James who had landed on the soft carpet where he'd nearly fainted.

He moaned. "I don't ever want to see anything like that again," he whimpered.

"It really is gone!" Logan announced, there being no sign of it.

Kendall burst into emotional tears. "My mom is going to kill me!" he sobbed. "I broke her!" He held the baby who had now began to cry as well.

Logan began to cry too when he saw Kendall cry, and wrung his small hands fretfully. "I'm sorry, Kendall!" he blubbered. "We should have woke your mom up!"

Carlos proceeded to cry when he saw the other two, because they were the ones who always kept his world together. Kendall did so with his take-charge ways, and Logan with his vast knowledge on all subjects that stupefied him.

"What are we going to do?" Carlos wailed. Now, Katie was crying loudly right along with them.

James matched her wail for wail from where he still lay on the floor. "We ruined the baby?!" he screeched, raking his hands through his long locks.

Mrs. Knight came flying from her bedroom, eyes wide with fear when she had heard the cries of all four boys, as well as her newborn.

"What's wrong?!" she asked breathlessly, scooping her baby up from the sofa and into her arms.

"We broke her!" Kendall confessed, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Her button is gone!"

"Button?" she asked, looking her daughter over thoroughly, but finding no apparent damage. "Calm down, boys and take some deep breaths, then explain why Katie is out here and not in her crib," she said as calmly as she could.

Kendall choked back an emerging sob and tried again to speak. "W-We wanted to see her, so-so we went in there, and-and then she woke up!" he said brokenly.

She rubbed his small heaving back. "It's okay sweetie, just slow down."

Kendall nodded emphatically. "Okay, mom. We didn't want to wake you, so w-we fed her a bottle-and-and changed her diaper, but-but her bilica cord fell off somehow- AND WE CAN'T FIND IT!" he finished, throwing himself against her chest and sobbing harder. "I'm sorry, mommy!"

James was hiding behind the smaller boys now. He didn't like the whole 'we thing' Kendall spoke of, and he knew that his own mom and dad usually resorted to punishment when things got this dramatic at his house.

"We're sorry too!" Carlos cried.

Logan just swallowed the lump of fear wedged in the back of his throat, wiping his wet cheeks on the back of his sleeve. Katie released a loud burp that startled all of them, and nuzzled contentedly into her mother's warm neck.

Mrs. Knight giggled at the surprised looks on the little boys' faces, and found herself laughing uncontrollably with relief as much as sleep-deprivation. The boys stared at her in shock, half afraid that she'd lost her mind, and was about to somehow regain it and chase after them.

"M-mom?" Kendall asked warily.

She ruffled each boys' hair affectionately as she turned to head back to the bedroom. "Let me lay Katie down, and we'll talk," she said through another onslaught of giggles.

The boys exchanged confused glances and sat huddled together on the sofa, awaiting her return.

"You boys did a wonderful job with Katie," she began,"But, I want you to promise me you'll wake me up next time and never take her out by yourself, got that?" she said, trying to sound stern.

She realized how bad things could have been if something truly had gone wrong, but she knew they'd meant well. The boys all nodded at once.

"We promise!" they chorused.

"Okay then. Where is Uncle Kyle?" she asked as an afterthought.

"He left to get some groceries," Kendall said. She looked away, hoping their young son wouldn't see the disapproving look in her eyes. He was so much like his brother.

"Well, he shouldn't have. Since you boys were left alone to fend for yourselves, I'm not mad. The umbilical cord is made to fall off when it's ready to. It wasn't because of anything you did."

Logan's face lit up. Now, he really couldn't wait to get his hands on that medical book and find out what other wonders lie inside.

"So...she's going to be okay?" Kendall asked with heartfelt concern. "'Cause I really love her, mom."

"Yes sweetie, she's fine." She wrapped her arms around her son, whose little body still trembled from stress, and pulled him to her. "She wasn't crying because you hurt her, she was crying because she needed to be burped."

"Shoot, I knew that," Logan muttered, stomping one little foot, angry at himself for not mentioning it sooner. He stuck his bottom lip out.

"It's okay Logan, and it happens. We just need to remember that you can always wake me up, no matter how tired I am, if you need help, okay?"

"Yes, mom," Kendall said sheepishly.

"That's my boys!" she said, opening her arms to all four and squeezing them tightly. Logan and James' eyes met when they felt something shoot at them.

"Ew, Mrs. Knight?" James said, rubbing his cheek while Logan did the same. "What just squirted on my face?"

Mrs. Knight laughed and shook her head. "Maybe your own mommies should explain that one," she said, struggling through another fit of giggles. "Now, let's feed my other babies!"


	16. There For You

**A/N: I am so sorry guys! Not only because I haven't updated in forever, but because I screwed up in the last chapter and made the uncle his dad, who was in the hospital. Yeah...I fixed that. I was running on very little sleep, if that can be an excuse? Anyway, I'm back! (:**

**Now, thanks to xxRikkexx1, AkireAlev, emo-rocker101, winterschild11, 4everBTR, texaskid, LazyLazyWriter, And All These Little Things, purple girl, misslittlemaslow, lilygirl42001, Tamberlyn, epicninjarusher, secretwritergirl for reviewing last time!**

**16. There For You**

* * *

Kendall bit his lower lip. He wasn't going to cry. His mommy needed him to be strong. He was all she had. Well, she had baby Katy-did, but she was only a couple of weeks old.

"M-Mommy?" he asked quietly. "Is Daddy gonna' die?"

She slowly removed her hands from her tear-streaked face to look at her little boy. He was so precious...and he was trying to be so brave for her and Katie. She forced a small smile.

"Come here, sweetie," she said, reaching out to where he stood against the over-stuffed chair, as if seeking comfort in its size. Lord knows, he got very little of it from his father, and when he did, it was too sporadic to be of any true comfort.

He gratefully wrapped his small arms around her neck. A tear slid down his cheek. He would be strong again, just as soon as he had a good cry. "I-I'm scared he will Mommy!"

She sat him on her knee and stroked his blond hair. "Now, let's not think like that, Kendall baby. He's a fighter as you know... " She rubbed the slender shoulders of her eldest child as he cried.

It was an understatement. Fighting seemed to be all they'd done lately, and she knew it couldn't be good for her little boy. When they had first met, he had been a different man. He and his own father were very different, but it seemed that his childhood had come back to haunt him. He began to drink just as his own father had, and it changed him.

"I know, mommy," Kendall said with a sniffle, startling her from her thoughts. She needed more sleep.

"Yes, well...if anyone can survive these type of injuries, he can," she said gently, wiping a tear away with her thumb. She kissed the tip of his nose. How she loved that nose. Straight and Aristocratic, she called it. Strong, like him.

"When can I see him?" he asked, feeling much better now that he'd had that good cry. "I want to see him."

She looked at his face, chin tilted up in determination, jaw set, and eyes dry already. He was strong all right. She couldn't help but smile.

"Okay. I'll ask, young man."

A faint cooing was coming from the other room. "Katie's awake, Mom."

"I know." She sighed.

She adored the baby girl already, but she still wanted that sleep. That's when it hit her, she would cave and allow one of the other moms to help out. She'd really thought she could get along on her own and spare everyone the details of her life, but with her husband in the hospital, and relying on Kyle wasn't working out.

They walked to the bedroom, and turned on the dim light. Katie was bright-eyed and wiggling in her bassinet. Jennifer melted as she always did when she looked at her, fatigue slipping away.

"Hi, Katie-did," Kendall said. "Don't worry, you're big brother's here."

x-x

All four boys clasped hands as they'd been instructed to do. Kendall was in the center with Carlos, and Logan held his other. His stomach felt like there were butterflies flying inside, and his heart was thumping loudly in his ears.

This was far worse than when he'd had to get up and do his first Show-and-Tell, just the year before. There had been so many faces he didn't know watching him, and he's had to leave the classroom for a bit to calm his nerves. It was usually Logan who had the panic attacks, not him. Here he was having another. He took a deep breath, attempting to ease the tightness in his chest. How did Logan deal with this all the time?

The halls were big and shiny, with bright lights on the ceiling. The last time he'd been here, the floors were warm and cozy with carpeting. Now, their footsteps echoed as they followed their mothers. He was finally getting his wish. He would see his dad for the first time since the accident.

Logan squeezed the hand he held, and he realized that he was trembling. "Are you scared?" Logan whispered, clearly frightened himself by the look of his big brown eyes.

Kendall nodded, than quickly shook his head. Logan looked at him knowingly. They halted when their mothers did, and they realized they'd come to a waiting area where they were expected to wait for Kendall, Jennifer, and baby Katie to visit the ICU area.

"I guess this is where we'll be waiting for you," James said, reassuring him with a quick hug.

Kendall nodded again, but he couldn't look at them. He was worried about what he would see on the other side of that door. Carlos finally let go of his hand and pressed his warm cheek to his chest.

"I'll have a surprise waiting for you when you get out," he promised.

"Kay."

"Come on, sweetie," Jennifer said, lifting the carrier once more to follow the waiting nurse.

Kendall went to her, his legs feeling like jello that he couldn't control. "Right this way, Mrs. Knight."

Kendall turned around one last time. All three boys were perched on the edges of chairs stiffly, watching him leave. He waved, and they gave him a wave back.

"Do you boys want to play a game?" Joanna asked, digging through a bag of toys and games she'd brought.

"As long as you keep it down," Brooke warned, holding a finger to her full lips.

"We will, mother," James said. Why did his mom always have to be the one to scare them? He helped Logan's mom set it up on the table. His eyes lit up. "You have Marvel Heroes!' he exclaimed.

"Yep, I had to get it for you boys. You've been such a good friend to Kendall, and he needs you to be there for him,' she said.

"Be _where?_" Carlos asked innocently, his forehead crinkling as he pondered.

Sylvia smiled. "She means be there for him when he's scared or sad, as well as when he's happy."

"Of course we will be!" Carlos chimed. "He's our bestest friend in the whole world!"

"I think you 're all bestest—er best friends," Joanna said with a smile. "Now, who wants a snack?"

x-x

Kendall's eyes grew wide when the nurse led them into the room. He could hear the monitors beeping in a steady rhythm, and there was just so much to take in. Could that really be his dad in all those bandages?

He heard his mom exhale as she set Katie's carrier on the floor nearby. She turned to guide him along the side of the bed, and she lifted him up to a chair beside the bed. Kendall gasped. There was a large hose poking out of his father's mouth, and various tubes and wires seemed to be...everywhere.

It was a sensory overload for the young boy. He swallowed hard. He didn't look okay like he'd hoped. He looked paler than he'd ever seen him, and the slits that were his eyes seemed oily.

"M-Mommy?" he said, uncertainly. He wanted her to say he was fine, and that it looked much worse than it was. That's what she usually did, after all.

"Mr. Knight," the nurse said sharply, before she could. "Your wife and children are here to see you. Can you hear me?"

One eye slowly opened as if pulled by an invisible string. It darted aimlessly around before finally landing on Jennifer's face. Tears were in her eyes.

"I'll leave you alone now," the nurse said, exiting the gloomy room. Before she left, she flicked on another small light.

"Honey...how are you doing? Are you in a lot of pain?" Jennifer asked.

He grunted, but shook his head ever so slightly. His eyes traveled to where Kendall stood studying him intently. A smile flickered though his eyes.

"Hi, Daddy," he said in a tiny voice. He lifted a hand a bit and wriggled his fingers toward him.

"I brought Katie," Jennifer said, unable to suppress her joy over the new bundle. His eyes followed her as she lifted the baby from the seat and brought her to his bedside. "Here she is."

The baby continued to sleep after a slight stretch, her mouth pursed into a tiny pink bow. She placed the baby next to her father where he could reach her. His index finger gently stroked the velvety skin of her tiny hand, before trembling, then collapsing back to the surface of the hospital bed.

The smile was evident in his eyes now. She laid the baby beside him and he stared for a long while before his eyes seemed to glaze over.

"You need to sleep, honey. We'll be back again soon, now that we know you can have visitors."

He nodded ever so slightly, and Kendall caught the remorse in his light eyes. "I love you, Daddy," Kendall said.

He watched his father struggle to move his arm. He steadied the shaking limb enough to bring it to his chest where he touched his heart. Kendall knew what he was trying to say; that he loved him too.

Walking back down the corridor, tears were streaming down both mother and son's face. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be a joyous time for the family. There was a knew baby to celebrate.

Six sets of eyes were on them as they entered the waiting room. They fell silent as they waited to hear. "He was awake...but he's couldn't speak with the tube in his throat. Thank you for bringing us. We will have to come back another time," Jennifer said, almost mechanically. Shutting down would be easier than dealing with the potpourri of emotions she was experiencing.

Kendall went to his friends, still seated around their Super Heroes board games. His emerald eyes were shimmering with more un-shed tears. Carlos jumped up and threw his arms around his taller friend, squeezing him tightly. We'll be _there_ for you!" he cried, using Mrs. Mitchell's words.

A small sob escaped Kendall's throat, leading Logan and James to join in for a group hug. "Yeah, you have all us until he gets better, and forever and ever," James said.

Logan's small hands found an opening between the intertwined limbs, and he latched on to Kendall's torso. He was like the little brother to him that he'd never had, and he rested his chin on the top of his dark head. He didn't have to say a word. He knew he was "_there"_ for him too...whatever that meant.

x-x

After gathering their things and making their way to the parking lot, an alarm sounded in the room where his father lie, visions of his wife's and son's faces, and the new one of his baby girl, still floating in his head. Where did he go wrong? He was fortunate to have such a beautiful family...and he realized that as soon as he was sober. He would never rink again...

"Code Blue! Code blue!" the speaker blared, bringing a team of doctors racing through the doors.

"It's Mister Knight in room 606! I think we're losing him!"


End file.
